


Some Sunny Day

by cucoo4cas



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean and Sam and the others will be in it eventually, Gen, I HOPE Y'ALL LIKE IT, Implied Destiel - Freeform, Implied Sabriel, M/M, Ragnarok, Set in the future, but i might, but they are not the main focus, i have no idea if i'm gonna kill anyone major or not, i only tagged major character death to give myself the option, muhuhahahaha, they're all in their twenties, this is gonna be a wild ride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-11
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2018-04-03 22:11:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 47,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4116637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cucoo4cas/pseuds/cucoo4cas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been a few years since Lisa Braeden died, and Ben's been drifting ever since. When Ben starts hunting with Krissy Chambers, things seem kind of crazy. When a supernatural being named Jesse drops in asking for their help, crazy doesn't begin to cover it. This is set a few years down the road, and it will probably not update as often as I'd like. Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Woman in White

The wind blew through Ben Braeden's hair as he sped down the highway. He needed to find a motel quick, or he was going to pass out. Of course, he hadn't planned to stay at that girl's house so freaking late. Or early, rather. Hell, the sun was going to come up soon. Ben could feel his eyes drooping when he saw her.

A beautiful woman wearing a white dress stood on the side of the road. Her bright clothing stood out in stark contrast to the dark highway.

Ben skidded his motorcycle to a stop and slowly coasted over to her. "Hey," he said, "Do you need some help?"

The woman stared at him with piercing eyes. "Take me home," she said.

Ben blinked. That was certainly an introduction. He'd just left a girl's house, but he didn't even think twice before saying, "Sure, hop on." The woman got on the back of his bike silently, staring at him all the while. He followed the woman's one and two word directions as they rode to her house.

After a while, the woman said nothing. Ben was about to ask where to go next when they rolled up to a broken down looking house. It was in the middle of nowhere, and the house looked like it hadn't seen people in a good many years. Large cobwebs hung in the cracked and dusty windows. Several wooden planks of the porch were missing. Even the door hung ajar in its frame.

"Is this where you live?" Ben asked, "'Cause no offense, but this place needs some serious TLC."

The woman said sadly, "I can never go home."

Ben turned to look at the woman in white, but she was gone. This all gave him a horrible feeling. He needed to get out of there. Just as he was about to turn his motorcycle around, the woman flickered into existence in front of him. Shrieking, she plunged her hand through his chest. Ben cried out as a sharp pain grew from her fingers.

"Get down!" someone shouted. Somehow, Ben managed to throw himself off of his bike as a gunshot rang out. The crazy woman in the white dress was gone.

A girl about his age with curly, brown hair tied up in a ponytail came over and pulled Ben off the ground. "Let me see your chest," she said.

Ben forced a playful grin and said, "Sweetheart, you're not even gonna buy me a drink first?"

The girl gave him a sharp glare and loaded and locked her sawed-off shotgun for emphasis that she was in no mood for his shit.

"Okay, okay, sorry," Ben said. He pulled his shirt over his head and saw that the woman had left angry, red marks where her hand had been.

"No blood," the girl said, "You'll be fine. Now, get on your bike and get out of town."

"You want me to leave?" Ben asked, incredulous, "After what just happened? I want answers, lady."

The girl rolled her eyes and said, "That was a ghost. A woman in white if you want to be specific. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go figure out where she's buried and torch Casper."

A ghost? Was she serious?

Ben walked over to his motorcycle. "No, no, no, no," he muttered under his breath. The side of his ride had hit a large rock when he'd fallen off of it. She now had a huge dent and a deep scratch through the black paint. Shit. As he knelt to pick up his bike, he saw the oil leaking out of the engine. Fuck.

"Hey," he called to the girl, standing up, "How exactly do you kill a ghost?"

The girl stopped short before getting to her bright red sportbike. "Oh no," she said, whirling around towards Ben, "No, you're getting out of here. You're not gonna ask me questions about ghosts or hunting."

"Hunting?" Ben asked.

"Get on your bike and go, jerk," she snapped.

"I'd love to, bitch, but my bike's fucked," Ben snapped.

The girl stepped over to Ben's motorcycle and inspected the damage herself. She stood up and leveled an exasperated stare at Ben. "Fine," she said, "You can come back with me into town and see if a repair guy can pick up your bike, but you are not helping."

Ben grinned and picked his motorcycle up off the ground.

"What are you doing?" the girl asked.

He hauled his bike over to the treeline and laid it down gently. He jogged back over to the girl with the gun and the nice bike and said, "I'm not just gonna leave my baby out in the middle of...where are we again?"

"Didn't you drive here?" the girl asked, mounting her bike.

Ben got on behind her and said, "I've been up for over 24 hours. Sue me."

"You got a helmet?" the girl asked.

"Nah," Ben said, "Never cared for them."

The girl sighed and said a sarcastic, "Awesome."

"What? I don't see you wearing a helmet," Ben said defensively.

The girl stuck her gun in a holster on her side and said, "I don't wear a helmet, because I'd be lucky to die in a motorcycle accident." Ben was about to ask what she meant by that when she said over her shoulder, "Hang on."

She revved up her bike and took off down the road.

"Do you know who the ghost is?" Ben asked after a few minutes.

The girl didn't answer. While he did have to speak up to project his voice over the wind, he knew the road noise wasn't loud enough to drown him out. The girl with the gun must've heard him.

"Or is it who the ghost was...y'know, rather than is," he said, hoping she'd tell him something.

Again, there was no reply.

"Do we stop being ourselves when we die?" Ben asked.

The girl driving the bike released a deep sigh that Ben felt more than he heard.

"Ghosts used to be people, right?" he asked.

She said loud enough for Ben to hear, "I'm not doing this with you, kid." Oh, good. Communication.

"How did you find out about ghosts?" Ben asked.

"Seriously," the girl said, "We're not doing this."

"Can you at least tell me your name?" Ben asked.

Roughly, the girl swerved her bike over to the side of the road and applied the brakes. She stopped the motorcycle and turned around to face Ben. "You want to know my name?" she asked.

Ben nodded and said, "Yeah. No state secrets or anything. Just your name."

"It's Krissy Chambers," she said evenly.

Ben smiled and said, "Well, hi, Krissy. I'm Ben. Ben Braeden."

Krissy rolled her eyes. "I don't care," she said. She turned back to face the road.

Pulling her bike back on the road, it seemed pretty clear that she didn't want to talk to Ben. He had different plans, however.

"C'mon," he said, "I talked to the ghost. You aren't the least bit curious about info or anything?"

"Where are your parents?" Krissy asked.

Ben's breath caught. His head swam for a moment with memories of flames, smoke, and screams. He shook it off as quickly as he could and asked, "Why does that matter?"

"Well, kid, if you've got somewhere you can be-"

"One, I'm 22, and you don't look much older, so stop calling me kid," Ben said, cutting her off, "And two, never met my dad, and my mom's dead."

Krissy took a deep breath before saying, "Sorry about your parents, but kid, until you've seen the crap I've seen, I'm going to keep calling you kid."

Ben bristled at the comment. If he hadn't seen the shit he'd seen, he wouldn't be out here in the first place. He'd be at home with his mom. He'd probably still be in college.

He snapped, "You don't know what I've seen and what I haven't, so I don't know where you get off-look out!"

The woman in white materialized in the middle of the road only feet in front of them. Krissy saw the ghost and narrowly swerved to avoid hitting it.

"Thanks for the head's up," Krissy said.

The ghost showed up in front of them again.

"Shit," Krissy said as she maneuvered around the woman in white again. Krissy kept dodging, and the spirit kept popping up, lunging out, scratching at the motorcycle.

The eighth time Krissy scooted around the ghost, the woman in white appeared behind Ben on the bike. A sharp pain shot through his back, alerting him to her presence. Ben let out a strangled cry. It felt like his spine was being ripped out.

Krissy looked over her shoulder. "Fuck," she hissed. She grabbed her gun out of the holster and shouted, "Ben, down!"

Ben ducked, and she fired both barrels of buckshot over his head. The pain in his back stopped, and Ben looked behind him. The ghost was gone, and a large scattering of what looked like road salt lay behind them.

"Are you firing rock salt?!" Ben asked.

"Works like a charm on ghosts," Krissy said, "Fuck. Hang on." Ben looked around for what Krissy was talking about when she skidded her bike sideways and slid through the ghost again.

"Is she gonna keep doing this until we get to town?" Ben asked, shouting over the wind that had suddenly picked up.

"Probably," Krissy shouted back.

"Watch out!" Ben shouted.

Krissy swerved around the ghost again.

"How do you kill a ghost?" Ben asked.

"I told you, kid, I'm not talking to you about hunting," Krissy snapped.

Ben shouted, "I'm trying to help before this thing gets us killed. How do you kill a fucking ghost?"

The ghost slid through the motorcycle again, scratching Krissy's arm. She hissed in pain and said, "I salt and burn the remains of the ghost."

"Like bones?" Ben asked.

"Yes, like bones," Krissy said.

Ben pulled out his phone and said, "Turn around. We shouldn't lead her too close to town." Krissy groaned, but she turned the bike around anyway.

Speeding away from the town, Krissy kept dodging the woman in white as Ben googled as fast as his phone would let him. He looked up the address of the house the ghost had led him to.

After a few links and a few moments where he was worried the swerving motorcycle would lose him his phone, Ben said, "Her name is Maria Andrews. She's buried in a cemetery not far from here."

"Give me directions," Krissy said.

"Keep taking this road until the bend. Just past the bend, it should be on your right," Ben said.

Krissy asked urgently, "Can you shoot?" Before Ben could reply, Krissy reached back, handing him a handgun.

Ben took the gun and quickly aimed it at the ghost that appeared again. He shot at it, and the ghost dissipated.

"Did I hit it?" Ben asked.

Krissy said, "Does it matter? Hold on." She pushed her bike faster as they raced to the cemetery. They got there quickly with Ben only having to shoot the ghost once.

"You're sure she's buried here?" Krissy asked.

Ben nodded, scanning gravestones for names. He glanced over at Krissy to see the woman in white behind her.

"Get down!" Ben shouted. Krissy dropped to the ground, and Ben fired a round through the ghost. It disappeared again.

"Yeah, she's around here somewhere," Krissy said, getting up. After a moment, she called, "Here."

Ben ran over, and sure enough, there was the grave of Maria Andrews.

"You got a shovel?" Krissy asked.

Ben gave her a look and said, "Yeah, let me just pull one out of my ass. Why don't you have a shovel? You're the one who knows so much about hunting ghosts." Krissy returned the look and said, "I have a shovel. In my truck. At the motel. In town. Somebody didn't want to lead the ghost into town, so I'm a little under-prepared right now." She looked around for an alternative. Ben spotted an open grave next to a nearby mausoleum. There was a shovel leaning against the mausoleum. Jackpot.

"There," Ben said, pointing out the shovel.

The woman in white materialized in front of Krissy and shoved her hand into Krissy's stomach, making her double over in pain. Ben shot the ghost, causing it to leave Krissy as he made a break for the shovel. He grabbed it and started to run back to Krissy when the ghost appeared before him.

"I can never go home!" she shrieked.

"That's your problem!" Ben shouted, shooting a round of rock salt through the spirit. He ran to Krissy and said, "I think I'm out of ammo. But hey, I got the shovel."

Krissy took the shovel and asked, "You don't happen to have any salt on you, do you?"

Ben said, "Sorry, I hadn't exactly planned on fighting a ghost when I hit the road today."

"I only have enough salt for the bones. Shit," Krissy said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a weird looking set of brass knuckles. She tossed him the shovel and said, "Dig fast."

"Are you going to punch a ghost with brass knuckles?" Ben asked, confused.

Krissy said, "They're iron, so yes. Don't ask questions, just dig."

Ben pushed the shovel into the ground, pulling out as much dirt as he could manage. The ghost appeared, and Krissy actually did punch it in the face. Just like the rock salt, it made the ghost disappear. Ben kept digging, adrenaline fueling him when his arms and back started aching. Krissy kept swinging at the ghost, occasionally jumping across the hole Ben was making to keep the thing at bay.

Finally, Ben hit something hard. He scraped away dirt quickly until a terrible pain cut through his neck. The ghost had him by the throat when Krissy jumped into the grave and smashed through the woman in white with the iron knuckles.

Krissy helped him clear off what was left of the coffin. They wrenched it open, and she pulled out a small bottle from a pocket further down on her pants.

She tossed it to Ben and said, "Squirt this on the bones."

He did as he was told, trying not to look too closely at the skeleton lying before him.

Krissy whipped out a lighter and a shotgun shell. She opened the shell and spread the salt within over the remains. "Climb out," she said.

Ben pulled himself out of the hole he dug only to be grabbed by the ghost again. He struggled to breath through her hand doing further damage to his chest.

"Take me home," the woman hissed.

Krissy climbed out of the grave and said, "You got it, bitch."

She flicked the lighter on and tossed it into the open grave.

Flames leaped from the coffin as the ghost released Ben. She screamed as a different set of flames devoured her essence. It was done. The woman in white was gone.

Ben collapsed on the ground, breathing heavy.

Krissy huffed a small laugh before landing on the grass next to him. "You good?" she asked.

Ben nodded, trying to remember how to breathe. They'd just killed a ghost. Holy fucking shit.

"You know we've gotta find her kids' graves now, right?" Krissy asked.

Ben closed his eyes. She had to be kidding. "Please, tell me you're joking," he said.

Krissy replied, "Partially joking. Women in white happen, because their husband was unfaithful, and they go crazy, kill their kids, and kill themselves. Their ghosts become that thing we had so much fun with tonight. Usually, the kids move on, but it's good to be on the safe side. So, we are gonna have to salt and burn the kids, but not this second. I'll take care of it tonight."

The sun slowly started to peak above the horizon when Krissy said, "C'mon, dude. We gotta get out of here before we get charged with grave desecration."

Ben slowly sat up. He was exhausted. He felt tired in his muscles, in his head, in his very being. But it was a good exhaustion. It was an exhaustion he could get used to.

Krissy helped him to his feet, and they made their way back to her motorcycle.

"So, this is what you do? Hunt ghosts?" Ben asked.

Krissy hopped on her bike and said, "Among other things, yeah."

"Other things?" Ben asked, curiosity piqued.

Krissy said, "Nope, no. I'm not talking to you about hunting. It's not happening."

Ben sighed and said, "Fine, but can you still give me a ride back to town, so I can get my bike fixed?"

Krissy laughed and said, "After everything that happened tonight, yeah, I'll give you a ride."

They got to the town without any ghostly opposition. As they pulled up to the motel Krissy had been staying at, Ben knew he had one last shot at this. Sure, it had been the first time he'd ever taken on a ghost, but it was the first time in months that he'd felt like he'd actually done something. He wasn't just coasting through life. He'd actually done something.

"So, I get that you don't want to talk about hunting with me, but can you take me with you?" he asked.

Krissy got off the bike and stared at him like he'd grown an extra head. "I hunt alone," she said flatly.

"Come on, Krissy. You could train me. I helped out a lot with this ghost. I might come in handy," Ben pressed.

"Why?" Krissy asked, "Why in hell would you want to hunt with me?" Ben furrowed his brow. It was a good question. He didn't exactly have anything better to do, but that wasn't it. That wasn't why he felt like going with this girl he'd only just met. And it wasn't just that it broke through the fog he'd felt ever since his mom died. It was something else, something deeper.

"It feels right," Ben said, hoping Krissy would hear his sincerity, "It feels familiar."

Krissy sighed and motioned for Ben to get off of her motorcycle. She walked it over to a black truck with a flatbed.

"You have any family? Any friends who would miss you?" Krissy asked.

Ben shook his head. Whatever ties he'd had had died with his mother.

She lowered the gate on the truck and used it as a ramp to put her bike on the flatbed.

"Before tonight, did you ever have anything supernatural happen to you?" Krissy asked.

Ben said instantly, "Yes." He wished he could have any other answer.

"I don't mean that you and your friends from school messed around with a ouija board once," Krissy said.

Ben said evenly, "My mother burned to death in a fire that had no origin. She was bleeding on the ceiling when it happened. If that's not supernatural enough for you, I don't know what to tell you."

Krissy nodded as she absorbed the information. "You'll die if you come with me," she said.

"You don't know that," Ben countered.

Krissy laughed bitterly and said, "I had a group of friends that I hunted with, and I'm the last one standing. Trust me, you'll die. Everyone does."

"I want to come with anyway," Ben said. He wasn't sure why he wanted to go with so badly, but it felt like something he really had to do. He'd never fought something like he had that night, but he knew with a bone deep certainty that he wanted to do it again.

"Alright," Krissy said, "Get in the truck. We'll go pick up your bike and head back here. You'll need to rest up before we take out the kids tonight."

Ben beamed and hopped in the passenger seat of Krissy's truck.

She put her keys in the ignition but didn't start the engine. She turned to face Ben. She said, "Ground rules. We hunt together, that's it. No emotional attachment. We aren't friends, we aren't besties, and if you ever try to so much as kiss me, I'll cut off your dick in your sleep. Clear?"

Ben tried not to be intimidated, but it didn't do any good. He had no doubt Krissy would kill him if he tried anything with her.

"Crystal clear," he replied.

"Another thing," she said, "There's no turning back from this. There's no getting out of this life after you're in. This is a life sentence."

"I get it. I'm still in," Ben said.

Krissy started the truck and headed for the house they'd met at. After Ben's bike was placed securely next to Krissy's on the flatbed, Ben climbed back in the passenger seat. Part of him really wanted to go to sleep. He was so freaking tired. Something drew his attention out of the corner of his eye. He looked in the backseat and pulled out a small crossbow from the duffle bag sitting back there.

"How do you use one of these?" Ben asked.

Krissy drove back onto the main road towards town and said, "Well, it's easier to fire it if the safety's off."

Ben looked at the crossbow for a safety switch or something. He fumbled around with it until the small arrow popped out of the back of the weapon haphazardly.

Krissy laughed and took the crossbow away from Ben. She said, "Looks like we've got work to do."


	2. The Kids Are Alright

Ben flopped onto Krissy's bed with a folded newspaper. "Take a look at this," he said, "I'm sure it's a case."

Krissy looked at the paper and said, "While accidental deaths aren't usually accidental, this guy jumped out of his window. What makes you think this is our kind of thing?"

After a year of hunting together, Ben really had hoped that Krissy would start trusting his judgment. He pointed to the picture beneath the headline of the wife and child the deceased had left behind. "See how they're standing? The mom is barely touching her kid. After a death in the family, usually families get closer. You could park a car between these two," he said.

Krissy said, "Yeah, that's a little weird, but families are fucked up sometimes."

"Okay, how about this?" Ben said, tossing the paper to the side and meeting Krissy's gaze, "We don't have anything else going on, and if it's nothing, fine. This place is near the beach. We can go swimming if there's nothing to hunt."

Krissy deliberated for a moment before saying, "Fine. If another case pops up, we're going to have to focus on that one."

"Fine," Ben said. But this was a case. He knew it. He didn't know how he knew it. But he did. He started packing his duffle bag while Krissy gassed up the truck. It was going to be quite a drive from Texas to Virginia, but it was worth it. Something was definitely going on in that town.

Several hours later, Krissy and Ben pulled up to the first motel they could find in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

"Do you want to check in while I ask around about the jumper?" Ben asked.

Krissy gave Ben a look and said, "Dude, it's almost dinner time around here. No one's gonna be very forthcoming when your interrupting a meal. Let's ask around together tomorrow."

Ben glanced at the clock on the car radio. Okay, it was almost 7pm. Fine. Questions later.

Ben grabbed his bag from the back while Krissy turned off the car and flipped through their fake IDs and matching credit cards. Ben walked into the front office and rang the bell.

A little girl came to the counter and looked at him with a blank expression. "Hello," she said. Ben never exactly felt comfortable around kids, but this girl was giving him a distinctly creepy vibe.

A woman quickly walked out from the back and said, "Hi, sorry, I was just-"

"It's fine," Ben said, "We just need a room." He gestured to Krissy.

The woman nodded and looked at the check-in book. Her hands were shaking.

"Are you okay?" Ben asked.

The woman looked up at him with wide eyes. She looked at the little girl for a second and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little frazzled. It's been a long day. Will a queen be okay?"

"Do you have anything with two singles?" Krissy asked.

The woman glanced between them before looking back at her check-in book. "Yes, there's a room with two singles. I'll just need method of payment and ID." Krissy handed her the fakes and quickly got a room key. Ben looked around the front office. Everything seemed normal.

Krissy tugged Ben's arm and headed for their room.

"Something is seriously going on," Ben said. Krissy shot him a look and unlocked their room.

Once inside, Ben closed the door and Krissy said, "Yeah, something's definitely got that woman tightly wound. We can look around in the morning, but for right now, let's just relax."

Ben nodded and pulled his laptop out of his duffle bag. Krissy sighed and turned on the TV. "You know, I'm usually the one doing the research, and you're the one surfing the motel cable for porn," she said.

Ben looked up and asked, "You're looking for porn?" Krissy let out a long, frustrated sigh. Ben smirked and started searching for anything off about the town they were in.

After a few minutes, Ben said, "There was another guy in town that died last week. He slipped in his shower."

Krissy muted the TV and asked, "And you think he and Window Jumper are connected?"

Instead of answering, Ben clicked another link and said, "There was another one, too. Just a few days ago. He got crushed by his garage door."

Krissy turned off the TV. She grabbed her laptop.

"Holy crap, there were two in one day. How did we not see this in the paper?" Ben said.

"How'd they die?" Krissy asked.

Ben scrolled for a second and flinched. "They took the business end of their drills to their stomachs. They're calling it suicide," he said.

Krissy started her own search.

"Something is seriously going on here," Ben said.

Krissy nodded but paused before saying anything.

"You find something?" Ben asked.

Krissy turned her computer screen and said, "So get this, the Window Jumper wasn't the only one who left behind a family. So did Shower Guy."

"Check the others," Ben said.

Krissy gave him a look but asked, "What were the names?"

"Here," Ben said, taking the laptop. He pulled up the obituaries, and sure enough, they all had left behind a wife and kid.

"That's a hell of a coincidence," Ben said.

Krissy rolled her eyes and said, "The deaths? Yeah, we've definitely got a case. The families? I don't know if you've noticed, but this is a suburb. It's small family central. Not sure if I'd take it as a lead."

Ben was about to disagree when a scream tore through the air. Krissy and Ben rushed out the door towards the shriek.

Sounds of struggle came from the front office. Ben ran in to see the woman who ran the motel crying and holding a fire poker like she was going to swing it at her daughter's head. Ben jumped over the front desk, restraining the mom, while Krissy pulled the kid out of harm's way.

"What the hell is going on?" Krissy asked.

The mother struggled against Ben and sobbed. "She's not my daughter," the woman wailed.

"But I love you, Mommy," the girl said with almost too much sweetness. Ben stared at the daughter. Krissy looked at the girl she was holding onto and up at the mother.

Ben knew this. He knew what was going on.

"I know she's not your daughter," Ben said to the woman he was holding, "I'm going to fix this, but I need you to help me do it, okay?" The woman stared at him and nodded shakily. Krissy stared at Ben like he was crazy. The girl tried to pull away from Krissy, but she didn't let go.

"Trust me," Ben said to Krissy. He released the mom and said, "We'll stay here with her. Do you have a mirror?"

The mom choked on a sob but nodded.

"Go get it," he said.

The mom ran into the back room. Ben knelt before the girl. The child met his gaze with icy stoicism.

Krissy said, "Ben, what are you doing? What's going on?"

Ben shook his head. It was so familiar. All of it was. He just couldn't quite place it. "I know what's happening. I can't explain it," he said.

The mom came back with a handheld mirror.

Ben took it from her. "This is what's going on, Krissy," he said. He held the small mirror in front of the daughter's face.

Ben didn't need to look at the reflection to know what Krissy saw. Instead of eyes, there were pits. Instead a nose, slits. Instead of a stoic mouth, rows of tiny, sharp teeth set in a round, worm-like maw. He'd seen it before. But he couldn't remember. He'd definitely seen it. He didn't think he could forget seeing something like that, but he definitely couldn't place it.

Krissy gasped at the reflection and dropped her hold on the little girl. The child tried to run towards the mother, but Ben dropped the mirror and grabbed the girl. The girl struggled and screamed, causing the mother to break down in sobs again.

Ben shoved the girl to the ground and pinned her with a knee in her back. "Do you have a room somewhere with no windows?" he asked.

The woman nodded and said, "Yeah...yeah, the bathroom in back." Ben wrenched the girl's arms behind her back and hauled her to the back room.

"Krissy," he called, "Door." Krissy hurried in and opened the bathroom door. Ben threw the girl in and slammed the door quickly.

Instantly, the girl began screaming and shaking the door. "Let me out!" she shrieked. Krissy shoved against a bookcase to push it in front of the door as Ben struggled to keep the door from being pried open by the creature inside.

"A little faster, Krissy," Ben snapped, using his whole weight to keep the door shut.

"This isn't as easy as it looks," Krissy replied, grunting a little with the effort. The mother walked in and pushed against the bookcase with Krissy. Quickly, they blocked the bathroom door, much to the violent dismay of the little girl. An unsettling clawing noise ensued, making Ben and Krissy cast sideways glances at the door.

"How did you know about the mirror thing?" Krissy asked, "I've never seen anything like that, and I've been hunting for a hell of a lot longer than you."

"I don't know," Ben said.

"What happened to my daughter?" the woman asked.

Even though she was on the verge of tears again, Ben really didn't know what to tell her. He closed his eyes and thought about the face in the reflection. He'd seen that hellish face before. He knew he had. He remembered seeing that face in his room as a kid. There had been scratching at the window. A woman with red hair had been there. The mom. The mom of those things had taken him from his room.

Ben looked at the woman before him. He said to her, "I don't know what happened, but I promise you, we will figure this out. Krissy, we need to go, now."

Before she could protest, Ben was pulling Krissy out of the office.

"I told you the families were a serious coincidence," Ben said.

Krissy said, "I don't know what you're-"

"The families. The kids. I guarantee you that each one of those kids is actually one of those things. They feed off of their mom, and anyone who gets in the way winds up dead from anything the creatures can get their hands on. Windows, showers, power tools, whatever. Krissy, it's the damn kids," he said.

"How do you know all this?" Krissy asked, "Seriously, Ben, what in God's name is going on?"

Ben led the way to the truck. "I don't know," he said, "I've seen those things before I think. When I was a kid. I remember a little. It's weird, because it's just bits and pieces. Feelings. Not full memories."

Krissy nodded slowly and said, "Okay, so you kind of know what we're dealing with even though it's a monster that we've never fought before? That's...different."

Ben pulled out the makeshift flamethrowers they'd made a while back while hunting down a wendigo. "I know you kill it with fire," he said with a small grin.

Krissy grabbed her flamethrower from Ben and said, "Okay, you take the lead on this one. So, do we torch the kid we just locked in the bathroom?"

"No, that'll probably alert the mother."

"The mother? There's a mother monster?"

"There was before."

"Oh, well, that's just great. Where do we find her?" Krissy asked.

Ben sighed. That was a damn good question. He tried to remember the woman with the red hair, the mother of the creatures. She had worn a suit and a fake smile. Ben remembered a flashlight, a bright beam of light that swept against metal bars. Metal bars. Cage. A basement.

Ben took off towards the office again, making Krissy curse under her breath and follow him. "Hey," he called to the woman staring frightened at the bathroom door.

The woman hurried over.

"She still in there?" he asked. The shrieking from the trapped creature continued.

"There's your answer," Krissy said.

Ben asked the scared mother, "Are there any places in town that go underground. Basements, construction sites, anything?"

Krissy looked at Ben, confused.

The woman said, "Lots of houses have basements, I don't-"

"Anything open to the public? Somewhere where someone could easily come and go, maybe has a lot of open underground space?"

"There's the Old Salem Church on Route 3. It's been closed for a Civil War preservation project, but it has a large cellar that they use for storage," the woman said.

"That could be it," Ben said.

Krissy quickly followed Ben out to their bikes. "I wouldn't take the bike if I were you," she said.

"What? Krissy, we've got to check this out. The kids might still be alive," Ben said.

Krissy sighed and said, "And if they are alive, are they going to all fit on two motorcycles? C'mon, let's take the truck."

Ben had to admit she had a point. He hopped in the passenger seat and pulled up directions to the church on his phone. Krissy turned the key in the ignition and peeled out of the motel parking lot.

They came to a screeching halt near the church in a matter of minutes. Ben tossed Krissy her flamethrower, grabbed his, and rummaged around in the back for a moment before retrieving a pair of bolt cutters.

"What do we need that for?" Krissy asked.

Ben headed towards the dark church and said, "We were kept in cages."

"We?" Krissy asked.

Ben sighed. He said, "Trust me, Krissy. I don't know what I'm remembering, or how I know some of this stuff. Just go with it for right now. If I knew how I know this, I'd tell you, okay?"

Krissy nodded but still looked very concerned. She followed him around the back of the church to the cellar. The door was locked with a metal chain. The padlock needed a key.

"See," Ben said, "The bolt cutters are coming in handy already."

Krissy shined a flashlight on the lock as Ben snapped the chain off. They quietly made their way down into the dark space under the church. Even with the flashlights, it was difficult to see anything.

"Ben, over here," Krissy called quietly. Ben rushed over to see Krissy shining her flashlight into several small, metal cages. The light illuminated the forms of several sleeping kids. The cellar door slammed shut. Shit.

Krissy and Ben spun around, ready to defend themselves from whatever was down there with them. Neither of them saw anything.

"Kill it with fire, right?" Krissy said.

Ben said, "Yeah."

"You get the kids out," she said, "I'll torch anything that moves."

Ben got to work snapping the locks off the cages with the bolt cutters while Krissy swept the area with her flashlight. He opened the first cage and pressed two fingers to the kid's jugular. He had a pulse. Good.

Ben shook him awake and said, "I'm going to get you out of here. Just stay quiet, okay?"

The boy nodded and crawled out of the cage.

Krissy's flamethrower went off behind Ben and she said, "Damn, I missed her. She's blonde, mid thirties. Hurry up with the kids." Ben went to the second cage and roused the sleeping kid. None of the children made a sound. He wasn't sure if it was because they were so scared or because they'd been fed on so much. Regardless, they needed to get out of there before making any medical assessments.

Ben spotted a window where a small amount of moonlight was shining through. They had an exit. "C'mon," he said to the kids, beckoning them over to the window.

Ben pushed at the window, but it wouldn't budge. "Cover your eyes," he said. The words rang in Ben's head. Someone else had said them to him before. He remembered the flashlight shining on the bars of the cage. He remembered green eyes and a smile. A relieved smile?

Ben shook his head and smashed out the window with the end of his flashlight. He shrugged off his leather jacket and laid it on the broken glass in the window sill.

"Ben, look out!" Krissy shouted. Ben whirled around and pressed the trigger on his flamethrower towards the approaching changeling. Changeling. That was the word. They were changelings.

The flames missed and the woman disappeared. Crap.

"There's a truck up there," Ben said to the kids, "Go wait by the black truck." He picked up the wide eyed little girl that looked exactly like the one they'd so recently locked in a bathroom. He hoisted her up to the window. She crawled through as a loud hiss drew Ben's attention.

The mother changeling ran at Krissy.

"Get outside," he said to the kids.

One of the boys started climbing some storage bins near the window to reach the outside. Smart kid.

Ben tackled the changeling to the ground before she could get a hold of Krissy.

"Move!" Krissy shouted.

Ben rolled out of the way as Krissy doused the ground in flames. The changeling screamed and burst into flaming embers. She disintegrated into ash and smoke. Krissy ran for the kids as Ben ran for the door they'd come in. The cellar door was locked. Damn it.

"Good thing we've got the window. The changeling locked the door," Ben said.

"Changeling?" Krissy asked, hoisting one of the remaining kids up to the window.

"Don't ask," Ben said. They got the rest of the kids out safely.

Krissy stood on a storage container and slowly maneuvered her body through the small window. Ben handed her the flamethrowers and the bolt cutters. He tossed his flashlight through the window and hoisted himself up. It was a good thing Krissy had managed to squeeze through. He'd worried that they wouldn't fit, but at least he didn't have boobs and hips to worry about.

Ben slid through the window and grabbed his jacket. The kids all waited quietly with wide eyes by the truck.

Krissy helped Ben to his feet and walked to the truck. "It's okay," she said to the kids, "You're safe now. Hop in." The kids did as they were told. One of the boys couldn't fit in back, so Ben got in the truck on the passenger side and had the kid sit on his lap.

Five minutes into the drive, all of the kids were fast asleep.

"Why are they so tired? You'd think something like this would've triggered an adrenaline rush or something," Krissy said.

Ben said, "The changeling was probably feeding on them. They'll be weak for a while, but they should be fine."

"Feeding on them?" Krissy asked.

Ben nodded. He maneuvered the sleeping boy on his lap to look at the back of his neck. There was a large bruise with several puncture wounds around it. A bite mark at its finest.

"Yep. Bitch was feeding on them," Ben said.

"Okay," Krissy said, "I know you don't know how you know all this stuff, but there's gotta be something. Tell me your story."

"What?" Ben asked, shocked, "My story?"

"Yeah, your story," Krissy said, "We've been hunting together for a year, and I almost always call the shots on hunts, because I've dealt with the monsters before. Clearly, you have history with these changeling things, so what the hell happened?"

"I don't know. I can't remember much," Ben said.

Krissy turned down a street that would take them to the motel. "Just tell me what you do know," she said.

Ben sighed. "Well," he said, "I remember having a birthday party. It was at the house I grew up in. Then, I remember seeing a woman with red hair and that creepy changeling face in my bedroom. She took me and put me in a cage next to a bunch of other kids. There was a bright light. Someone got us out. It's all kind of fuzzy, but I got back to my mom."

"Someone got you out? Were they a hunter?" Krissy asked.

Ben said, "I don't know. I can't remember. I can remember my birthday party just fine, and I can remember being with my mom after. It's just the middle stuff that's missing."

"That's really weird," Krissy said.

They pulled up to the motel and woke up the kids. Right away, the little girl ran to her mother. The mother hugged her daughter tightly and looked at Ben and Krissy with gratitude. "Where did-how did-" she stammered.

Ben said, "Trust me, you don't want to know. But I do need your help. I don't know these kids, and they need to get home to their families."

The woman looked at the other kids. "I'll get it sorted out. I don't know how to thank you enough," she said. Krissy walked behind the front desk to the bathroom in the back room. The door stood open, and a pile of ash covered the floor. Oh good, they just had to kill the mom. They didn't have to go picking off the kids. Awesome.

Ben smiled and said, "Well, I guess we should hit the road."

Krissy rolled her eyes. "How about we get some sleep first? We drove all day, and we just got done with a hunt. I'm beat, dude," she said.

Ben said, "Fine. Sleep first. But we should leave first thing in the morning. The last thing we need is a bunch of parents asking questions."

Krissy nodded, gave a smile to the woman holding her daughter, and headed off to their room.

Ben followed her and said, "I may not know how I knew stuff about this case, but at least we saved a bunch of kids."

"Yeah, that is a good thing," Krissy said. She opened the door to their room and gasped. She pulled a gun from her waistband and aimed it into the room.

"What now?" Ben asked. He looked into the room.

A guy with dark hair and a tan hoodie lay passed out on Ben's bed. Cuts mottled his face and arms, bleeding steadily onto the sheets.

"Holy shit," Ben said, rushing into the room to apply pressure to the wounds. "A little help?" he asked Krissy.

Krissy asked, "You know this guy?"

"No, but he's bleeding a lot. Put the gun down and get a towel or something," Ben snapped.

Krissy rushed to the bathroom as the guy stirred momentarily. He grabbed Ben's shoulder tightly and said in a husky, strangled voice, "Help me."

Just like that, the guy lost consciousness again.

Krissy returned with a towel and pressed it to the parts that were bleeding most. She said, "This night just keeps getting better and better."


	3. Lazarus Rising

They hauled the unconscious man over to the truck. Krissy gave Ben a dirty look.

"What?" Ben asked.

Krissy said, "All I wanted was to get some sleep. Now, we're moving bodies?"

Ben sighed and said, "It's not my fault this guy just showed up out of the blue, okay?"

They hauled him up into the passenger seat. They'd stopped the bleeding, and he had a steady pulse, but the guy still looked like he'd gone a few rounds with a puma. If these were normal circumstances, they'd take this guy to the hospital. Too bad these weren't normal circumstances.

"Yeah, but we could've just left him," Krissy said.

Ben raised his eyebrows at her. "He asked us to help him, literally came out of nowhere, and you aren't the least bit curious how or why?"

"Not in the slightest," she said, closing the passenger door.

Ben rolled his eyes. "Bullshit," he said.

Ben followed Krissy around to the other side of the truck. She said, "Shut up. I'm curious, alright? But I need sleep before we get involved with something messy. So, you drive." She tossed the keys at Ben and crawled into the back seat to lay down.

Ben got in the driver's seat and looked at his unconscious co-pilot. The poor guy had lacerations everywhere. He reached over and pressed two fingers to the guy's cut up neck. He still had a pulse. Good. Ben turned the key in the ignition and drove away from the town.

A couple hours later, the sun started to rise, and the road was beginning to blur. Ben blinked his eyes, trying to focus.

The guy next to him inhaled sharply, lurching forward in his seat.

Ben jumped, swerving the truck.

"What the hell?!" Krissy shouted.

The mystery guy gasped in lungfuls of air as Ben grabbed the wheel hard and pulled over on the side of the road. Ben looked over at the other guy. Once the guy caught his breath, the cuts all over his face and neck healed and disappeared.

"How-" Ben started.

Krissy aimed a gun at the guy's head and asked, "What the hell are you?"

He turned towards Ben with wide hazel eyes. "I'm Jessie," he said, "And I need your help to save the world."

"What?" Ben asked.

"Nope," Krissy said, "That doesn't answer my question." She cocked her gun with a loud click.

"Krissy, that's not helping," Ben said.

"Not helping? Ben, this guy isn't human."

Jesse sighed and suddenly the three of them stood outside the truck.

Ben said, "How did you-"

Jesse said, "I'm not entirely human, no, but I am partly human. It's complicated. But I seriously need your help. The world is at stake."

Krissy stared at her empty hands angrily. "What'd you do with my gun?" she asked.

"It's in the car," Jesse said, "But it doesn't matter. Your bullets wouldn't do anything."

"Wouldn't do anything my ass. Those bullets were silver."

"Even if silver did affect me, your bullets would have disintegrated before they left the chamber."

"Okay, time out," Ben said, "Let's start from the top before you kill each other. Where did you come from?"

Jesse gave Ben a small smile while Krissy fumed. "I came to you from a small town in northern Siberia. I was searching for someone, but they are blocked from me, so I had to use a more primitive tracking method," he said, "And that led me to you. Unfortunately, using the spell threw off my sense of direction, and I materialized inside the motel wall. I didn't mean to startle you the way I did."

"And you just kinda healed yourself after a couple hours?" Ben asked.

Jesse nodded. "Landing in the wall caused some brain damage that needed to heal before I could address everything else. It usually doesn't take so long. Sorry again for scaring you."

Ben smiled and said, "Well, I didn't crash the truck, so we're good."

"Good?" Krissy said, "We're pretty fucking far from good. This guy still hasn't explained what he is, and let me point out the elephant in the room, he thinks the world is gonna end."

"That's because the world is in danger. Ragnarok has begun. Things are going to get very bad very fast," Jesse said.

"Ragnarok," Krissy said evenly, "The Norse end of days. That's what you think is happening?"

Jesse nodded.

"That's insane," she said.

"Why is it hard to believe? The Christian apocalypse was in motion just over a decade ago. Of course, that was thwarted, but this is still a very real threat."

"Someone wanna fill me in on this Ragnarok shit?" Ben asked. He might be a hunter now, but he was still rather new to most lore.

Jesse turned to Ben, fixing him with an intense stare, and said, "Ragnarok is the end of all things in Nordic mythos. It starts with three winters with no summer between them. Soon, Loki and Fenrir escape their chains at the base of the world tree, and Heimdall's horn blows as a warning of the giants who will once again wage war against the gods. What results is utter chaos, unimaginable natural disasters, death, war, pain, suffering, and the destruction of the gods."

"Well," Ben started, not sure how to respond to all that, "That's-"

"Completely not what's happening right now," Jesse said, "I know. However, the changing climate and the tremors all Yggdrasil have the Norse gods up in arms. Especially Odin. His last incarnation was killed by Lucifer rather unexpectedly, and he refuses to be blind-sided again, and most certainly not by the war he feels is coming. Heimdall's horn has already blown twice from their over-anticipation of battle. If they start a war amongst themselves, it will turn into an actual Ragnarok, and the entire world will be a casualty."

Krissy and Ben looked at each other for a moment.

"You're crazy," Krissy said, "You know that, right?"

Jesse opened his mouth to argue, but Ben stopped him. He said, "Let's say for the sake of argument that this isn't as looney tunes as it sounds. How does the gods being a bit antsy count as an immediate threat? And what are Krissy and I supposed to do about it?"

"And where are you getting this intel?" Krissy asked.

"It's an immediate concern, because something happened. One of the gods is in trouble, and the entire Norse pantheon is mobilizing for war as we speak. As far as my information goes, it's hard to explain. I can hear things that others generally can't. It's one of my abilities. About a week ago, I heard a scream, but it wasn't on this plane or it was but not in a place that I could locate. I started investigating and heard whispers of Ragnarok among the gods. Enough whispers to learn that we're all in serious trouble."

Ben didn't know what to think about all this. Gods? Really? Sure, he knew about monsters well enough, but gods? Gods who might destroy the world?

Krissy reiterated Ben's question. "And where do we fit in?" she asked.

Jesse said, "Not sure yet. I'm looking for someone. My locator spell led me to you two. I'm not sure why. Given enough time, I may figure it out and have a better answer for you."

"Who are you looking for?" Krissy asked.

Jesse hesitated, glancing between the two hunters.

"We can't trust you if you don't trust us," Ben said, "If you want our help, you're gonna have to tell us."

Jesse sighed but was saved by Krissy's cell phone ringing.

She answered the call and said, "Hey, Lucas. What's- Slow down. What are you-"

She was silent for a moment as she listened. Ben kicked at the dirt beneath his shoes, trying to ignore the way that Jesse was staring at him.

"Okay, we'll head there now. Text me the address," Krissy said. She hung up and said, "We've got a case. Lucas says there's something weird happening in his neck of the woods."

Ben said, "But we have a case right here." He gestured to Jesse to emphasize his point.

"Yeah, a guy who won't tell us what he is and wants us to get involved with something that's either totally made up or way too high stakes for us," Krissy said.

Jesse looked at the ground, dejected.

Ben watched Krissy walk around the truck, dumbfounded. How could she just ignore something like this?

"What about Jesse?" Ben asked. Jesse looked up at Ben with a small smile.

Krissy called over. "He comes with," she said, "Get in."

Ben opened the passenger door and motioned for Jesse to get in the back seat.

Jesse paused. "I could just teleport us there," he said.

"Nope," Krissy said, "We're doing this my way. Right now, I barely trust you enough to let you in my truck let alone teleporting us where ever you feel like. You want us to trust you enough to help you with the end of the world? If you won't tell us what you are, I at least need to see what you can do. Get in the truck and work this case with us."

Jesse hopped in the back seat without another word.


	4. Skin

About an hour into their drive, Jesse asked, "So, who is Lucas?"

Ben turned around in his seat to face Jesse. "Lucas is a friend. He's a little bit psychic. Ever since a ghost drowned his dad and grandpa when he was a kid, Lucas has been kind of sensitive to supernatural happenings. He's pretty panicky because of it, but he's a good guy. He'll give us cases from time to time when he senses something bad," he said.

"A supernatural barometer," Jesse said, "He sounds quite useful."

"You sure you wanna be spilling secrets to this guy?" Krissy asked Ben.

Ben sighed, facing the other hunter. "Trust works both ways," he said, "And I feel like we can trust him."

"Thank you," Jesse said from the back seat.

Krissy ignored him and asked, "Ben, is this like your weird intuition during the changeling thing yesterday?"

"No," Ben said, "No, that was old memories. I just have a good feeling about Jesse, that's all."

"What happened with the 'changeling thing?'" Jesse asked.

"We worked a changeling case last night. I had a lot of fragmented memories come back as if I'd run into changelings before as a kid. But I still can't quite put my finger on anything. It's all kind of blurry around those memories. Helped solve the case, though," Ben said.

Jesse's brow furrowed. He said, "That is interesting. Perhaps the events from when you were younger were traumatic enough that you repressed them. Or maybe you suffered a head injury during that time. Either way, I would be more than willing to read your mind and see if I can unlock some of those memories for you."

Krissy asked, "You can read minds, too? Is there anything you can't do?"

Jesse paused. He said, "I'm not sure. I'm still testing my limits, but I do have a vast array of skills."

"Yeah, that's reassuring," Krissy muttered.

"Thanks for the offer, Jesse, but I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be with you roaming around in my head," Ben said.

"Yes, that makes sense," Jesse said, "The mind is a private place. I would not violate that privacy unless you asked me to."

"So, you can turn off your telepathy." Krissy said, "Good to know."

"I try not to read anyone's minds unless absolutely necessary. I find it makes people uncomfortable."

"Can't imagine why," Krissy said.

Ben swung around to face Jesse again. There was something about the guy that had Ben on edge, but it was in a good way. He didn't fully trust him yet considering they'd literally just met, but he did feel like he could put his guard down with him. Ben's intuition hadn't led him astray yet.

"So, what can you tell us about yourself?" Ben asked.

Jesse gave Ben an apologetic smile. "I try to be as honest as I can, so I'm sorry if I seemed reluctant to share earlier. Things that I'm unwilling to talk about are just very personal. What I can tell you is that I'm 24, and I was born in Nebraska."

Ben tried not to show his shock. Usually, creatures as powerful as Jesse tended to be ancient or immortal. But Jesse was just a 24 year old from Nebraska who casually had powers like a comic book superhero. 'Cause that was normal.

"Were you born with your abilities?" Ben asked.

Jesse shook his head. "No," he said, "They manifested when I was eleven."

"Eleven?" Ben said, "Jeez, that's a lot of power for a kid."

Jesse looked out the window for a moment. "It wasn't an easy adjustment, no. I had to leave home when it all happened. I spent a long time in Australia, testing my powers, staying away from people to keep them safe. Over the years, I started hunting and trying to help people. For the most part, though, I just keep to myself."

"Wow," Ben said.

Krissy laughed and said, "Don't drool in my truck, kid."

"Shut up," Ben said, shoving Krissy in the shoulder.

Jesse said quickly, "I would like to know more about you two if that's okay."

Krissy gave an impatient sigh. "No," she said.

Ben looked at Jesse and said, "Krissy doesn't like to share personal details. I've been with her for a year, and all I've really gotten out of her is that she's an only child. I'll tell you my story, though, if you're interested."

Jesse nodded. "Yes, please," he said.

"I'm 23. Just had my birthday last month. I was born in Michigan. It was just my mom and I. Never met my dad. Then, my mom died a few years about, so I was on my own until I met Krissy last year. Started hunting with her and here we are."

"I'm sorry about your mom," Jesse said.

"Yeah, me too," Ben said, "I just wish I knew what the hell killed her. I'd send that bastard straight to hell."

"She was killed?" Jesse asked.

Ben nodded. "Yeah. Whatever did it pinned her to the ceiling and set her on fire," he said, "But I have no leads, and Krissy's never heard of anything that does that."

"I've never heard of anything like that either," Jesse said, "But Ben, once we save the world, I promise to help you find your mom's killer."

Ben blinked. He barely knew this guy, but Jesse was offering to help him, and he needed all the help he could get, but he also literally just met the guy. And this was assuming that they did actually wind up saving the world. Still, Ben found himself saying, "Thanks, I appreciate it."

"Mind if we listen to music?" Krissy asked.

Ben knew full well she wasn't really asking. She put on some Led Zeppelin without waiting for a response.

The rest of the drive was comprised of singing along with the radio, idle chit chat between Ben and Jesse, and more than one reminder from Krissy that talking over AC/DC is not okay.

By the time they got to Athens, Ohio, Ben was driving even though he only got a few minutes' rest on the drive, Jesse was riding shotgun and talking to him about movies he'd seen, and Krissy was sleeping in the back. Finally, Ben pulled up in front of Lucas' house. It was only about 2pm; they'd made good time.

Ben hopped out of the truck and stretched.

Jesse appeared beside him, sending his heart racing.

"Dude," Ben said, "You have legs, use 'em. Gotta give me at least a few days to get used to all the popping in and out."

Jesse grinned, and Ben knew Jesse had given him a heart attack intentionally. Ben shot Jesse a look before smacking the side of the truck to wake up Krissy.

Lucas poked his head out of his front door and quickly waved them inside. Krissy yawned as she joined them.

"I'm so glad you're here," Lucas said, "There's been such a terrible-who's this?" Lucas indicated Jesse and gave a questioning look to Ben and Krissy.

"He's a new friend," Ben said.

Lucas looked Jesse up and down before saying, "Your new friend is very supernaturally powerful."

"We're aware," Krissy said, "It's a long story. Short version, he's gonna help us work this case of yours."

"Good!" Lucas said, "Good. That's, that's good. This case is rather, well...he'll probably come in handy."

Krissy sat down on the arm of Lucas' couch. "Why don't you tell us what's going on? I know you said one of your neighbors died. What happened?" she asked.

Lucas nodded, sitting down on the couch. "Right," he said, "It's very troubling. My neighbor, Ryan, killed his infant son."

"Oh, shit," Ben said, unable to keep his reaction in, "I mean that's terrible. Why would he do something like that?"

"He wouldn't. Ryan and Valerie, his wife, were here with me at the time."

"Why were they here?" Krissy asked.

"I was doing a tarot reading for them," Lucas said.

Krissy's eyebrows shot up.

Lucas said, "Hey, don't judge. Psychic's gotta make a living."

"So, how do they know Ryan killed his kid?" Ben asked.

"Nanny cam caught the whole thing," Lucas said.

Jesse said, "We need to see that footage."

"Way ahead of you," Lucas said, holding up a disc, "I looked at it to see if it was a ghost. Spirits I can handle, but this is like no spirit I've ever seen."

Lucas got up and popped the disc into his laptop. They all huddled around the screen. A man, presumably Ryan, approached the crib. He picked up the baby and turned away from the camera.

"Wait a minute," Ben said, "Go back a few frames."

Lucas went back and stopped on a frame that clearly showed Ryan's face. His eyes were glowing like a cat's.

"Like I said, it's not a ghost," Lucas said.

Krissy ran a hand over his face. "Shit."

"Shapeshifter?" Ben asked.

"Yep, we've got a shapeshifter on our hands," Krissy said, "Fuck, I hate these things. And it killed a baby. Shit."

"Crime scene?" Ben asked.

Krissy nodded.

"What's the address?" Jesse asked.

Krissy showed him the text Lucas had sent earlier.

Jesse nodded and said, "I apologize in advance."

Jesse, Krissy, and Ben arrived outside the crime scene. Krissy and Ben looked around, disoriented.

"Dude, really?" Ben snapped at Jesse.

Jesse sighed, ignored Krissy's disapproving scowl, and said, "This is why I apologized. Also, there's no one inside right now."

Krissy headed up to the house and motioned for Ben to look around outside.

"C'mon," Ben said to Jesse as he made his way around the side of the house.

It looked like your average suburban house, two stories, nice siding, large backyard. All it lacked was a white picket fence. Otherwise, it was the epitome of a normal, apple-pie-life kind of house. Perfect killing ground for a demented shapeshifter.

"You don't happen to have some sort of infrared scanning ability, do you?" Ben asked.

Jesse said, "No, but I am a very good tracker. If we can find something that the shifter has touched or left DNA on, I can find it."

Ben nodded and opened up the gate to the backyard.

"Besides, I was under the impression that my powers made you uncomfortable," Jesse said.

Ben shook his head. "It's just the teleporting," he said, "I get that it's faster, but if you could at least give us an option next time...oh, hello."

Ben spotted something near one of the bushes towards the back of the yard. He crouched down to get a closer look at it. It looked like a pile of goop. When he touched it, he knew exactly what it was.

"Aww, man," Ben said, wiping the shapeshifter gunk from his hand onto his pants, "Looks like you've got your DNA."

Jesse bent down to investigate. "Is that skin?" he asked.

"Yeah, shifters shed when they change shape," Ben said.

"That's disgusting." Jesse reached out to touch it. When his fingers made contact, Jesse closed his eyes. "It's underground in the sewer system. I can teleport us down there if you want."

Ben nodded. He said, "See, this is better. I'm prepared for it now. Let's just let Krissy know before-"

Jesse and Ben stood on the slime covered cement of the sewer walkway before Ben could finished his sentence. There were piles of shifter sheddings all over the tunnel.

"Okay," Ben whispered, "You and I need to work on our communication."

Jesse held a finger to his lips and motioned for Ben to look around the corner. A man stood there holding something small in his arms. A baby. Shit.

Ben grabbed his gun from his waistband and turned the corner, aiming at the shapeshifter's chest.

The shifter turned around, placing the baby directly over its heart. "What are you going to do, hunter?" it asked, "Shoot a sleeping baby?"

Ben kept his gun trained on the shifter.

It said, "Put the gun down, or I'll snap its neck."

Jesse stepped around the corner, and he teleported the child into his arms. With the shapeshifter now defenseless, Ben opened fire. The shifter dodged and sprinted off down the tunnel.

Ben ran after it but lost it quickly. "Damn it," he said.

"Ben," Jesse said.

"Where were you? You couldn't stop it?" Ben asked, walking back to Jesse, "You've got the powers of a god, and it still got away?"

Jesse said softly, "Ben, look."

Ben stepped over and had to look away. The child's organ were outside of its body, its abdomen ripped open; it was already dead.

"Son of a bitch," Ben said shakily.

Jesse waved his hand over the infant, and its organs packed themselves away, taking the spilled blood with them.

"I'm sorry I didn't stop the shifter," Jesse said, "I was a bit-"

"No, I get it," Ben said.

"We need to find this child's parents," Jesse said.

Ben nodded. "We'll leave an anonymous tip," he said, "But first we need to catch this thing."

Jesse nodded and placed the dead infant on the ground in the shifter's lair. He unwrapped the blanket from around the body and covered the child with it.

When Jesse rejoined Ben, he looked over at the small form under the blanket. "I wish there was more we can do," he said.

Ben nodded and said, "Killing the kid's murderer is a good start."

"Why would it do something like this? Killing babies?" Jesse asked.

"With shifters, it's hard to tell. Other creatures kill for food or out of primal instinct. Some are just pure evil," Ben said, "Shapeshifters are weird. Sometimes it's just instinct, but sometimes it's personal. Krissy and I hunted down a shifter in Dayton that was killing specifically mothers, because its mother had been unable to love it. Only way to be sure is to ask, but if you get a clean shot, I wouldn't waste your time encouraging a monologue."

Jesse said nothing.

Ben put a hand on Jesse's shoulder. "You okay, man?"

Jesse turned to face Ben. "How do you kill a shapeshifter?" he asked.

Ben waved his gun before putting it back in his waistband. "Silver bullet to the heart," he said.

Jesse looked at the lifeless child once more before teleporting them back to the glob under the bush. Ben looked around while Jesse reached for the pile of skin.

Krissy came barreling out of the house. "Where the hell have you been?" she shouted, "I asked you to look around not go gallivanting off-"

"This doesn't make sense," Jesse said, eyes closed, "The shifter should be right h- Ben, that's not Krissy!"

Krissy grabbed Ben's arm before he could react. She snapped his upper arm under her vice-like grip. Ben cried out in pain. She threw Ben against the side of the house and turned to Jesse.

Jesse stood up, taking a deep breath.

All of a sudden, the shapeshifter gasped. It fell to the ground with a hard thud, the life gone from its eyes.

Jesse ran to Ben and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Is the shifter dead?" Ben asked, sitting up with a wince.

"Yes."

"Then, I'm great. Go find Krissy."

"But your arm."

Ben said, "I'll deal with it later. Find Krissy."

Jesse disappeared and reappeared holding an unconscious Krissy in his arms.

"Can I teleport us to Lucas' house?" Jesse asked.

Ben nodded and found himself sitting on Lucas' couch. Jesse laid Krissy down on the kitchen table.

Lucas came downstairs. He stared at Ben with wide eyes. "Where did you-How did-"

"The shapeshifter is dead," Ben said, "Jesse killed it and brought us here. How did you kill that thing anyway?"

Jesse stared at Krissy intently. He pressed his hand to her head, and she sat up with a gasp.

"What the hell-" she started.

"I repaired your head trauma," Jesse said. He looked at Ben and said, "I made a silver bullet from your gun materialize inside the shapeshifter's heart."

Krissy's mouth fell partly open in shock.

Ben said, "Dude, that is badass!"

Krissy slid off the kitchen table and said, "That is a pretty cool trick."

Jesse smiled. He walked over to Ben and sat down next to him. "Your arm is broken," Jesse said flatly.

Ben said, "Yeah, I'm aware."

"May I?" Jesse asked, extending a hand.

Ben nodded.

Jesse lightly ran his fingers along Ben's arm. The break was already badly swollen.

"So, what? Do you have x-ray vision, too?" Ben asked.

"Something like that," Jesse said, "I can feel energy, even energy among matter."

"So, you can just kinda sense where things are broken?"

"Something like that," Jesse said again, "I can also manipulate matter. You might want to hold onto something. This will hurt for a bit."

Ben said, "I'm sure I can handle-"

Jesse pressed his hand to Ben's arm, and Ben screamed as his bones snapped back into place. Ben grabbed Jesse's knee with his good arm to stabilize himself while the pain subsided. The swelling disappeared.

"Thanks," Ben said, looking at Jesse.

Jesse said, "It's nothing." He retracted his hand from Ben's arm which reminded Ben to take back his hand from Jesse's knee.

Ben leaned back on the couch, pointedly ignoring how the nerves in his hand and arm sang from his contact with Jesse.

Krissy asked, "How did you know where to find me?"

Jesse leaned forward, balancing his elbows on his knees, and said, "I can find anyone if I know what they look like."

"And if you don't?" she asked.

"Then, he needs their DNA or something they touched," Ben said.

Krissy gave Ben a quizzical look but didn't ask. "How bad were my injuries?" she asked.

Jesse said, "You were bleeding into your brain. You would've slipped into a coma if the pressure didn't kill you."

Krissy nodded, absorbing the information. "So, you saved my life," she said, "I guess the least I can do is help you with the apocalypse."

"The apocalypse?" Lucas asked, startled.

Ben almost jumped, having forgotten that his friend was still there.

"It's a long story," Krissy said, "Jesse, who are you looking for, and how can we help?"

Jesse said, "I'll tell you, but I warn you, hunters tend to have very strong reactions when I say their names."

"Should I be somewhere else?" Lucas asked.

Ben, sensing his friend wanted an excuse not to get involved said, "We do need to call in an anonymous tip to the cops. The shifter killed another baby, and the body is in the sewers."

Lucas nodded solemnly and said, "I'm on it."

When Lucas left, Krissy and Ben both looked at Jesse, waiting for him to continue.

Jesse said evenly, "I'm looking for Sam and Dean Winchester."


	5. The Usual Suspects

Krissy walked right out the door. She heard the name Winchester and was gone.

Ben looked at Jesse, perplexed.

"I'm guessing she knows them," Jesse said.

"I've never heard of 'em," Ben said.

"And I find that rather surprising," Jesse said, "They've saved the world on multiple occasions. They're something of a legend among hunters."

"Are they the guys that stopped the apocalypse you talked about earlier?"

Jesse nodded. "Yes, they're the ones that stopped Lucifer," he said.

Ben paused for a moment before fixing Jesse with an incredulous stare. "Lucifer?" Ben asked, "Like the devil?"

Jesse said, "Yes, I mentioned him before as w-"

"Elaborate."

"It's a long story," Jesse said, "Basically, Lucifer and Michael the Archangel were supposed to fight to the death in a battle that would've consumed the planet. When Lucifer rose, there was chaos, fires, hurricanes, demons killing in celebration, but Sam and Dean were able to stop the fight and lock Lucifer back in his cage in Hell."

Ben stared blankly at Jesse. "Yeah, I don't know how to react to that," he said, "When you first mentioned it, I was more focused on the immediate threat. That's, umm, that's some crazy biblical shit."

Jesse shrugged and said, "Well, the important thing is that they stopped it, and Lucifer is locked away. Now, could you sit forward? You seem to have some minor injuries left from the shapeshifter."

Ben scooted forward and tried not to react to Jesse's fingers trailing along his back. His touch radiated warmth through his sore muscles.

"Speaking of the shapeshifter," Ben said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Jesse said, continuing his soft, rubbing motions.

"Back in the shifter's lair, you seemed pretty broken up about the baby. I mean, the kid died, and babies dying is really fucking hard, but you still seemed pretty wrecked," Ben said, "You okay?"

Jesse's hands stilled, and Ben almost regretted bringing it up.

"Yes, I'm okay," Jesse said after a pause, "I was caught off guard by the baby. What really bothered me is that I couldn't save it."

Ben turned to look at his friend. "We didn't know before it was too late. There was nothing you could've done," he said.

Jesse shook his head. "It's not that. After I realized the child had died, I tried to bring it back to life. I wasn't sure if it would work since I've never tried to resurrect anything before, but I tried and it didn't work," he said, "I, umm, I'm not always comfortable with the powers that I have. They alienate people, make it hard for me to be around others, and they make it impossible to try to be normal. But sometimes, my abilities allow me to do good things and help people. I don't have many limits, so helping people is rather easy. But apparently, I don't have the ability to defy death. And that was somewhat hard to accept given the circumstances."

Ben put his hand on Jesse's knee. "Hey, it's okay that you're not all powerful. And I'm not freaked out by your powers. I just need a little warning before you use them on me, that's all. I'm sorry you couldn't save the baby, but you did kill the shapeshifter. That's gotta count for something."

"Thank you," Jesse said with a small smile, "That means a lot." He returned his hands to Ben's back to finish up healing him.

Ben didn't complain. It felt amazing.

Lucas came downstairs and asked, "Where's Krissy?"

Ben jumped and almost moved away from Jesse's touch. Almost. It felt too good for him to care about what Lucas thought of the situation he walked into. He stifled a small moan as Jesse's fingers spread warmth and healing to his lower back.

"Krissy's outside. She just needs to cool off," Ben said.

Lucas asked, "Did something happen? Are you-you guys fighting?"

"Nah," Ben said, "Jesse just told her who he's looking for."

Lucas nodded. "You must be looking for one seriously bad guy if you're getting a reaction like this," he said.

Ben said, "Jesse's looking for Sam and Dean Winchester."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"I know those guys. They're good guys. They saved my mom and I when I was a kid," Lucas said.

"Have you heard from them recently?" Jesse asked.

Lucas shook his head.

Ben looked at Lucas, bewildered. "Does everybody know these guys but me?"

Jesse said, "I also met them once a long time ago, but for some reason, I can't locate them. It was over a decade ago, so I might not remember their faces right, but I should be able to find them. It's just so strange."

Ben turned to face Jesse. How had he not heard of these guys? Everybody and their mom seemed to know them.

"Maybe Krissy knows something," Lucas said, "Maybe that's why she walked out."

Ben said, "She needs to cool off before she's gonna be any help to anyone. Trust me, she needs space. You try talking to her too soon, and she'll start throwing punches."

"I heard that!" Krissy shouted. Of course she'd been closer to the door when he said that. Of course.

Ben sighed. Since he was already getting on her nerves, he might as well be the one to test the waters and see if she was ready to talk. He reluctantly left Jesse's fingers and stood up. Stretching, his back felt amazing, better than it had even before he was thrown against a house.

"Thanks," Ben said. He headed outside to where Krissy was pacing on Lucas' front lawn.

"You wanna tell me what's up with you and the Winchesters?" Ben asked.

"Nope," Krissy said.

"Okay," Ben said, "Well, Jesse met them when he was younger, and they apparently saved Lucas' life as a kid. You wanna shed just a little light on how they're okay, and you're out here pacing like a crazy person?"

Krissy laughed to herself and faced Ben. "I was fucked over by the Winchesters once, so I'm not their biggest fan," she said, "But more importantly, it's Sam and Dean Fucking Winchester."

"And that means...?" Ben asked.

Jesse and Lucas stepped outside hesitantly.

"You," Krissy said, pointing at Jesse, "What exactly have you gotten us into?"

"Just what I've already told you. Ragnarok is-"

"Yeah, I remember. The world's in danger. I thought you were nuts. Ragnarok?

The apocalypse? It's just crazy," she said, "But the fucking Winchesters? I know what kind of shit they get involved with. I know they fight gods and demons, some rumors say they took out Satan himself. If they're involved that means you're not nuts, the world is actually ending like it apparently was before, and we are all in way over our heads. So, excuse the fuck out of me for needing a minute to process all of this."

Ben didn't blame her. At least the gravity of the situation was affecting her. It hadn't sunk in for Ben in the slightest. It was a lot to take in, and his brain didn't know where the hell to start. More than that, he had no idea what they could possibly do to help.

"I'm sorry," Jesse said, "It is an overwhelming situation. I hope that once I figure out what connection between you and the Winchesters led me to you instead of them, I won't need to involve you any further. Stopping Ragnarok is too much to ask of anyone, but any help finding the Winchesters would be greatly appreciated."

"So, you just need to know how I'm connected to the Winchesters?" Krissy asked, "Then, you can find them and be on your merry way?"

"That is my hope," Jesse said.

Krissy sighed. "I met them when my dad went missing while he was hunting a vetala. Sam went to rescue Dad, but he wound up getting caught, too. Dean tried to babysit me, which was stupid, because when the vetala were threatening to kill everybody, I saved all their asses," she said, "Didn't see them again till after my dad died. They saved my old friends and I from a maniac and a vampire situation. Never saw them again."

"How'd they fuck you over?" Ben asked.

"Like I said, I never saw them again. They said they'd have some guy named Garth check in on us to make sure we were okay. That never happened. We were teenagers, but we were still just kids. Nobody ever checked in on us. When things went south with a werewolf pack, I tried calling them, but it just went to a voicemail saying to call Garth for help. Called Garth, and the number was disconnected. I tried calling them other times, but it was just the same thing till the number I had for the Winchesters went dead, too."

"Sounds like that Garth guy flaked out," Ben said, "Still sucks."

Krissy stared at Ben. She said, "No. What sucks is watching your father, your best friends, and everyone you ever care about die. Where were the Winchesters when Aiden got killed by a rugaru? Where were they when Josephine's throat was ripped out by a werewolf? They were probably out saving the universe or something, so I don't blame them. I wasn't supposed to be their responsibility. But I had no one, and they weren't there when I needed them."

"I'm sorry," Ben said softly.

Krissy took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself.

Jesse said, "Thank you. I'm sorry that talking about it brought up difficult memories. Unfortunately, your lack of contact with them means there must be another connection that brought me to you."

Krissy said, "Of fucking course."

Jesse turned to Ben and said, "I believe I need to read your mind."

"Whoa, what?" Ben asked, "Why? I never even met them."

"It's the only lead we have. I was brought to the two of you for a reason. If the connection isn't through Krissy, then it must be through you, and you said you were experiencing odd memory fragments. There might be something to that," Jesse said.

"I think I would remember running into world saving hunters," Ben said.

Krissy shook her head and said, "You don't know what you can't remember. If you were taken by changelings as a kid, it's possible."

"I promise I'll be as quick as I can. I won't look at anything I don't need to," Jesse said, "You're safe with me, I swear."

"Fine," Ben said, "You don't breathe a word of what you see in my head to anyone. And afterwards, I get to catch up on some sleep. We clear?"

Jesse nodded. They walked back inside.

Ben and Jesse sat back down on the couch.

"Try to clear your mind," Jesse said, "I'll be aware of your thoughts during this process."

Ben nodded.

Jesse stared at Ben with an intensity that made Ben shiver.

"I find that if you close your eyes, this won't be as awkward," Jesse said. Ben ignored this advice, finding it hard to look away from Jesse's hazel eyes.

Jesse smiled slightly at that, which reminded Ben that his new friend was actually in his head and could hear everything. He closed his eyes promptly and tried to clear his mind.

His mom used to be a yoga instructor, so he knew a few meditation tricks. He focused solely on his breathing. Breathing in and out. Just feeling his lungs expand and contract. In and out. No thoughts. Just breathing.

And the spot where Jesse's knee was touching his.

He tried to police his thoughts, but he knew Jesse already heard it all anyway. If he got through this thing without full on blushing, it would be a goddamn miracle. It wasn't his fault if he was attracted to Jesse, the guy was fucking gorgeous.

Jesse moved his knee away and said, "Ben."

Ben opened his eyes to see Jesse with a bemused smile on his face.

"Hmm?" Ben asked.

"As much as I enjoy your thoughts," Jesse said, "I need you to quiet them if I'm going to access your memory. Do that breathing focus thing again. That was working well."

Ben closed his eyes. Jesse enjoyed his thoughts? What the hell did that mean? No, focus. Breathing. In and out. Inhale, exhale. Not Jesse's smile. Just breathing. Focus.

"Try thinking about your experience with changelings as a child," Jesse said softly.

Ben tried. He couldn't remember much. Being in a cage, seeing red hair on the mother changeling, the rows of parasitic teeth. He remembered cake at his birthday party of all things.

"Holy shit," Jesse said in a near whisper.

Ben opened his eyes again, curious.

Jesse said, "You are definitely the missing piece of the puzzle, Ben. When I met the Winchesters, they had an angel with them."

"An angel?" Ben and Krissy said in unison.

"Yeah, they're a thing. Not as great as they sound. Their angel friend, Castiel, tried to kill me first time I met him, but-"

Ben asked, "An angel tried to kill you, and you survived?"

"I turned him into an action figure. Temporarily, of course. I was eleven, and he came at me with an angel blade. I wanted him to be harmless, and well, toy angel. Anyways-"

"You could do that when you were eleven?" Krissy asked, eyes wide.

"My powers emerged abruptly and caused enough chaos to attract the Winchesters. That was the least of what I was able to do," Jesse said, "But that's not the point. The point is that Castiel's grace is all over your memory, Ben. It's power is suppressing, altering, and in certain places, replacing your memories."

"What!?" Ben said, alarmed, "I have angel grace in my head?"

"No, not grace. Just the effects of it. Castiel used his grace to alter your memory, so the power is there but the actual grace is not. Does that make sense?" Jesse asked.

Ben nodded and asked, "Can you get rid of it?"

Jesse said, "I can undo it if given enough time. I just need to get acquainted with the grace's power signature."

"What if you got the angel whatever-you-call-it out of my head right now?" Ben asked.

"I could possibly leave you with enough brain damage to turn you into a vegetable if not actually kill you," Jesse said.

"Yeah, okay. Take all the time you need," Ben said, "No rush. Really."

"So, what do we do in the meantime?" Krissy asked.

Jesse shrugged. "I don't know. Figuring out how Castiel's power is woven into Ben's mind will take a few days at least," he said, "I suppose I could..." Jesse covered his mouth for a moment. His eyes widened with sudden realization.

"Something you wanna share with the class?" Ben asked.

"I could track him using whatever magic he used on your memory," Jesse said.

"I don't follow," Ben said.

"Angel grace is as unique as a fingerprint, and the magic at work in you has the same energy signature as the grace that put it there," Jesse said, "I could track Castiel. Even if he's not with the Winchesters, he might know where they are."

"You gonna stick your hand in my head?" Ben asked.

Jesse smiled. "No, nothing so painful," he said.

Jesse placed the tips of his fingers near Ben's temples. "May I?" he asked.

Ben nodded.

At his touch, a warm, pulsing, almost electric sensation spread from Jesse's fingers through Ben's head.

Jesse closed his eyes.

The sensation grew stronger, travelling down Ben's neck into his shoulders. He didn't know what to make of it. It didn't hurt, but it was a very strong feeling.

Jesse's eyebrows furrowed in concentration, then confusion. "I found his grace, but it's faint. I can't get a visual," he said, "The flicker of his grace is coming from South Dakota. We could go now if-"

"No," Krissy said, "No teleporting."

Jesse dropped his hands from Ben, taking the warm energy with him. "But it's so much faster. I could just-"

Krissy cut him off. "No. First, Ben needs at least a couple hours. Poor kid's been up since yesterday morning. Second, sleep was one of his conditions to the mind meld, so no arguing. But most importantly, if I'm going, we're taking my truck, and I don't care if you've got more power than God, I don't trust you to teleport the three of us, all our gear, the bikes, and the truck without something getting left behind."

"Are you sure you want to come with?" Jesse asked them, "I know you don't want to get involved, I could just-"

"No way am I letting you go alone. I've got angel mojo in my brain. I need answers and enough time for you to fix it," Ben said.

Jesse nodded. He turned to Krissy.

She said, "Don't look at me. I go where the kid goes. Somebody's gotta watch out for him."

Jesse asked, "Are you implying that I wouldn't-"

"Somebody's gotta watch out for the both of you," Krissy amended.

Ben grinned at Krissy.

"I'm far too powerful for you to need to worry-" Jesse started.

Krissy silenced him with a look.

Jesse sighed and said, "Well, we'd better get going if we're travelling in a car."

Ben put a hand on Jesse's shoulder. "Don't worry," he said, "She hates driving for more than a couple hours. With me sleeping, she'll be begging you to get us there faster."

Krissy rolled her eyes. "We'll see you later, Lucas," she said, "Let us know if any more fun pops up."

Lucas gave Krissy a hug and said, "Good luck with the end of the world." Krissy huffed a laugh and returned the hug.

Ben clapped a hand on Lucas' back. "You know, you could always come with," he said.

Lucas shook his head. "No, I'll pass. Your average haunting is more my speed. Just come back in one piece."

"See you around, Lucas," Ben said.

Jesse nodded to Lucas and followed Ben and Krissy out to the truck. Ben climbed in the backseat, beyond excited to get some shuteye. Krissy hopped in the truck as Jesse appeared in the passenger seat.

Krissy started the car and said, "Sleep well, kid. You're gonna need all the rest you can get."

Something nagged at Ben's tired brain. He sat up in the backseat. "Hey, Krissy. Earlier, you said you had no one. I just want to make sure you know you've got me," he said.

Krissy gave a long suffering sigh as she pulled out of Lucas' driveway. "Really? Now?" she asked, "Not when I was spilling my guts a few minutes ago?"

"I haven't slept in over 24 hours," Ben said, "Call it a delayed reaction."

"This is why I don't share my personal shit. People get all chick-flicky," she said.

Ben gave Krissy an exasperated sigh.

Krissy said, "I know. And you've got me, too. Now, go the fuck to sleep."

Ben laid back down and closed his eyes.

"So, South Dakota, huh?" Krissy asked Jesse.

"Sioux Falls specifically," Jesse said.

"Alright, you tell me directions, and I'll get us there," Krissy said.

Ben fell asleep listening to his friends talking and the steady lullaby of the road.


	6. Family Matters

When Ben woke up, he felt more rested than he had in a long time.

"Don't freak out," Jesse said softly.

Slowly, Ben realized that fingers carded through his hair, and his head lie in Jesse's lap.

"Wanna tell me what's going on?" Ben asked.

"I lost the grace's signal, so I came back here to refocus. I have it back now, but it's in and out," Jesse said.

Krissy said, "You gotta tell him the best part."

Jesse sighed and looked down at Ben. "It seems that we are not tracking Castiel. We're tracking a girl named Claire Novak. She is Castiel's vessel's daughter."

Ben sat up in the back seat, putting a little space between him and his new friend. "And this girl can help us how?" he asked, "Where are we?"

"It's a lead," Jesse said, "And we'll be in Sioux Falls as soon as Krissy pulls over."

Krissy sighed and pulled the truck to the side of the road. "You better not lose anything," she grumbled.

The world outside the windows changed drastically. The flat plains of the midwest disappeared. Bluffs and small mountains dotted the horizon.

"Everything traveled fine, I promise," Jesse said, "Take a right on this street, and the house will be the last one on the left."

"Krissy agreed to teleportation?" Ben asked, shocked.

Jesse nodded. "Only after you woke up," he said.

"I'm so proud!" Ben said with mock cheer.

Krissy said gruffly, "Shut up, Ben."

Krissy drove up to the house that Jesse pointed out. She turned around to look at Ben and Jesse. "Okay, how we doin' this?" she asked, "Are we reporters, students, cops? How-"

Jesse disappeared from the truck.

Ben said, "I think we're going with blunt honesty." He ran from the car up to the house.

Jesse stood by the door. "They're home. Sounds like they just finished dinner," he said.

Ben knocked on the door as Krissy joined them. He said, "Just let me do the talking, oka-"

Jesse was gone again. Ben could already hear chaos unfolding inside. Damn it.

A blonde girl opened the door, distracted by a loud shout. Ben and Krissy rushed in towards the kitchen. Jesse had badly startled a middle aged woman with short brown hair.

"Who is this? Who are they? What's going on?" the woman said quickly.

The blonde from the front door slammed Krissy into the kitchen wall, holding a knife to her throat. "Who the hell are you?" she said.

"Damn it, Jesse. People use doors. You ever heard of 'em?" Ben said.

Jesse gave Ben a sheepish look.

Krissy said quickly, "I'm Krissy Chambers, this is Ben Braeden, and the idiot that scared you guys is Jesse. We need Claire Novak's help."

The woman turned to another blonde haired woman with a look of total confusion.

The girl holding Krissy to the wall asked, "Need my help? With what?"

Jesse faced Claire and said evenly, "The end of the world."

Krissy rolled her eyes.

Ben said, "Jesus, Jesse. Could you be any more dramatic about this?"

The four women of the house looked at each other. A girl about their age with black hair said, "The end of the world, huh? We should probably hear them out, Jody."

Jody said, "Fine, fine. Claire, c'mon." Claire released Krissy reluctantly but kept her knife in hand. She led them into a bigger room with a couch and gestured for them to have a seat. Ben, Krissy, and Jesse sat down.

Jody said, "I'm Sheriff Jody Mills. This is my wife, Donna, and our girls, Alex and Claire. Now, I want to know exactly what the hell is going on."

Ben spoke first. "Our friend here figured out that Ragnarok is happening or close to happening, but we need to find Sam and Dean Winchester."

Before he could say anymore, Jody asked, "Why are you looking for them?"

"They are an important part of figuring out how to stop Ragnarok," Jesse said, "They've saved the world before, but they may have been eye witness to the catalyst of all of this."

Jody sighed and muttered, "The things those boys get into, I swear."

"Do you know them?" Jesse asked.

Donna laughed. "Know them? We're practically family."

"Where are they? How do we find them?" Jesse asked quickly.

Jody said, "I'll call them. I'm sure they'll want to deal with-"

"No need," Claire said, looking at her phone, "I told them we have some guests talking about the end of the world. Dean says they're on their way."

Jesse looked at her with wide eyes. "Do you know why I can't track them? If they're on the move, I should be able to sense them."

Claire gave him a confused and concerned look. "What are you?" she asked.

"It's complicated," Jesse said.

"No judgement," Claire said, "Alex almost became a vampire, I was a werewolf once and a meat suit for an angel a long time ago. We've all got our things."

"You were a vessel for Castiel?" Jesse asked.

Claire shifted uncomfortably where she stood. "How do you know his name?" she asked.

Krissy said, "Jesse met Castiel some years ago. That's how we found you, actually. We tracked Castiel's grace to you."

"I don't have Cas' grace," Claire said, "He's got it, what's left of it anyway."

Jesse said, "You have a very trace amount of grace. I suspect it was left behind after he possessed you. It's like scar tissue. It doesn't do anything, it's just a sign of what was once there."

Claire sat down on the couch next to Krissy. "Well, that's not creepy at all."

"Don't worry. At least it's not affecting your memory like it is for Ben," Krissy said.

"Hey!" Ben said, "That's a little personal, don't you think?"

"Sorry. I figured it'd help her feel a little better," Krissy said.

Ben released a long suffering sigh. Krissy didn't notice; she was more focused on Claire.

"How long will it take the Winchesters to get here?" Jesse asked.

Claire shrugged and typed into her phone. Quickly, she got a response. "They'll get here tomorrow. They just worked a case in Nevada. Should be here in the morning."

Jesse made a frustrated noise. "If I could just track them, I could be there right now," he said.

Ben patted his friend's leg. "A few more hours ain't gonna kill you."

Jesse sighed deeply. He looked from Ben to Claire. He asked, "Claire, can I touch your head for a moment?"

"What? No!" Claire said, getting up quickly.

"Jesse, what the actual fuck?" Krissy said.

Jesse said quickly, "I'm sorry. That could've come out better. If I can get a read on Castiel's grace, I'll be able to fix Ben's memory faster."

"And you need to touch me for that?" Claire asked, skeptical.

"For this, yes," Jesse said, "It will only take a few seconds, I promise."

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Krissy said, "Jesse can fix him without the grace. It'll just take longer."

"And will be much more dangerous," Jesse added.

Ben felt a heap of dread settle in the pit of his stomach.

Claire asked, "Will it hurt?"

"Not a bit," Jesse said.

She knelt in front of where Jesse sat, earning a protective frown from Jody.

Jody said, "I don't know about this. He never explained what he is."

Jesse opened his mouth to respond but Ben spoke first, "He's trustworthy. He's a good guy. I have no idea what he is that gives him the powers that he has, but he is a friend, I promise."

Jesse gave Ben a smile.

"I've done worse for less," Claire said, "Go ahead."

Jesse gently placed a couple of fingers to her temple for a moment. His gaze became a far away stare. After a couple of seconds, he dropped his hand and asked, "Do you have a room where Ben and I can have some privacy?"

Ben felt his face flush.

Jody glanced at Donna.

Donna said, "The guest bedroom...?"

Jody said, "Whatever. Yeah, that's fine. I don't care."

Alex motioned for them to follow her. Ben and Jesse trailed behind her down the hall to a small room with a twin bed covered in a quilt.

"Thanks," Jesse said as Alex left the room.

Ben closed the door and asked, "Why the privacy?"

Jesse sat on the bed and patted the space next to him. "We don't know what details your real memory holds. It may be emotional, and I wanted you to feel safe if that happens."

"Oh," Ben said, trying to stop his heart from pounding in his ears, "Makes sense. Thanks." He sat down on the bed next to Jesse.

"Are you ready?" Jesse asked.

Ben nodded. He'd never felt less ready for anything in his life. He nodded anyway.

Jesse slid his hands through Ben's hair, caressing the sides of his face and cradling his head with both hands. It felt incredibly intimate and sent Ben's mind flying into uncharted territory.

"This will be like the last time. I'll be able to hear your thoughts while I remove the effects of the grace," Jesse said, "I don't need you to clear your mind since I know what I'm looking for, but I will be aware of your thoughts the entire time."

Ben understood, yet he found himself staring at Jesse's lips as the now familiar energy flowed into Ben's head. Jesse's lips looked soft. They quirked up into a small smile, and Ben wanted to kick himself. God. Fucking. Damn it.

"It's okay," Jesse said quietly. One of his fingers stroked Ben's hair for a second.

Ben wondered why Jesse always touched him more than the others. When Jesse had fixed Krissy's head back at Lucas' place, he hadn't even made physical contact. And he'd only used a couple of fingers to feel the grace inside of Claire. Yet he'd given Ben a back massage and used both hands to connect to Ben's mind each time. He wondered what the difference was that changed how much contact Jesse needed to have.

"It's just personal preference," Jesse said.

What the hell did that mean?

Jesse said absently, "It means that I enjoy touching you. I can use less physical contact if you'd prefer. Just say the word."

"No," Ben said, "It's okay. It's, umm, kind of nice." Thank God they were in a private room. Krissy would never let him live down that kind of shit.

Jesse smiled though his gaze was unseeing. It reminded Ben of Jesse's far away look when he'd first appeared and asked for their help. That had only happened yesterday, yet here Jesse was, inside Ben's head trying to recover his memories. It wasn't even a big deal to Jesse; the guy just wanted to help. But it meant so much to Ben that he didn't even have the words to express it. It made Ben want to say something, do something.

"Jesse," Ben said.

Jesse said, "I know."

Ben stared at Jesse until Jesse's eyes focused on him. "I found it. I found the point where Castiel started changing things. This will be intense. Ready?"

Ben swallowed. His heart pounded in his chest. He wasn't ready. Not by a long shot. Whatever his real memories were could change everything, his childhood, his life, who he is, everything. But he had to know. "Do it," he said.

A surge of energy from Jesse sent Ben back to the car accident. The one that sent his mom to the hospital. He sat in the hospital room where his mom was lying in the bed. The guy who hit them had come to make sure they were alright.

But before that, there'd been a man in a tan trench coat. He'd found Ben by the vending machines. He'd touched two fingers to Ben's head.

His mom had been dying. There'd been a demon, he'd been kidnapped, his mom had been stabbed. They'd only done it to get to Dean.

Dean. Dean Winchester.

Ben had been so angry at Dean, for doing this to them, for putting them in danger. He'd stormed out of the hospital room when Dean had tried to apologize. How could he have forgotten?

He'd called Dean before, begging him to come home, missing Dean especially when his mom had started dating other people.

Before that, Dean had been at their house. He'd shown up one night a little frantic. When Ben had tried to talk to him, Dean had shoved him away and left. It had felt so strange, because Dean had always tried to make time for Ben, had always tried to be open and there for him.

Always. For a year. Dean had lived with them for a whole year. Dean's car had been in their garage. He'd lived in their house, worked in their neighborhood. He'd helped Ben with schoolwork. Dean had been like a father to him for an entire fucking year.

Dean had shown up late one night. Mom had answered the door. It was never too late. Ben didn't know what was going on at the time, but he knew that Dean seemed different, broken. The year that followed was a hard year for Dean, but for that brief time, they'd been a family.

The birthday party. Ben could remember it fully. The birthday cake, Dean knocking over a garbage can, the bouncy castle. He remembered Dean teaching him how to deal with bullies.

The changelings. He remembered them in detail. They'd taken him in the dead of night, dragged him into the construction area. They kept him in a cage. He'd been so tired, so drained. Dean had found him, broke him out. Helped him and the other kids get to safety. Ben remembered the relieved smile on Dean's face. He hadn't wanted Dean to leave.

Ben hadn't wanted Dean to leave after the changelings, after the year of being a family, even after the demon attack that nearly killed his mother.

Ben looked at Jesse, wide eyed and breathless. "Holy shit," he said.

Jesse regarded him with the same shocked expression.

Ben grabbed the sides of Jesse's hoodie and pulled him into a kiss.

Jesse returned the kiss without hesitation, running his fingers through Ben's hair.

Ben deepened the kiss, his hands exploring Jesse's shoulders, the back of his neck, his dark hair. He broke off the kiss abruptly. "Sorry," he said, "I probably shouldn't have done that. That was just-"

"No, it's fine, more than fine," Jesse said quickly.

Ben nodded, his mind racing. "Okay, good," he said. He pressed his lips to Jesse's again, hard. Jesse pulled Ben closer.

Ben stood up, breaking the kiss again. He started to pace. "Wow. I just-how could Castiel change so much in my head? How could Dean just leave? He told us he was the guy that hit us in the car crash, but there wasn't a car crash. He knew we didn't know who he was, and he just rolled with it. How could he do that? He must've asked Castiel to wipe our memories of him, but that's still just-how could he do it? He was like a father to me, and he just up and leaves?"

Jesse said, "I can imagine that that's-"

Ben stopped and sat back down on the bed. "Is it okay if I kiss you again?" he asked, "Kissing you is really the only thing that's not making me question my entire life right now, which is stupid since I literally met you yesterday and should definitely be questioning my life especially because I kissed you, but kissing you is actually helping me feel a little grounded, and you're an amazing kisser by the way, so-"

Jesse said, "Yes, you can kiss me all you want. Whatever you need-"

Ben cut him off with another kiss. Jesse reciprocated and ran his hands down Ben's back.

Ben got back up, pacing. "This is crazy. This is entirely crazy. I had no idea that Dean Winchester was such a big part of my life until literally just now, and the only thing keeping me from freaking the hell out is kissing a guy that I just fucking met. What the hell is going on?"

"Ben, I should really tell you something," Jesse said.

Ben said, "Go ahead. Nothing's gonna shock me right now."

"I think Dean Winchester is your father," Jesse said.

"Tell me something I don't know. The guy helped raise me for a whole fucking year."

"No, I mean, I think he's your biological father."

Ben stopped in his tracks and faced Jesse. "Come again?" he asked.

Jesse said, "I used a tracking spell to find Sam and Dean Winchester, and I found you instead. You and Krissy both met them, and you definitely have a lot history with Dean. But that's not enough to throw off the spell I used. Since I couldn't lock onto Dean, the spell bounced me to the next best thing, someone who shares his DNA. Ben, I think you are biologically Dean Winchester's son."

Ben stared at Jesse. "Holy shit," he breathed.

"Yeah, I know," Jesse said.

Ben started to pace again but stopped. "How could he leave my mom to raise me alone? Did he not know? If he didn't know, why didn't he ask when he was at my fucking birthday party? Math isn't that hard. He should've- But even if he didn't know, he still lived with us for an entire year and acted like a father. He should've known what leaving us would do. He should've- He left us without our memory of him. Even if that didn't matter, which it fucking does, he left us unprotected. Just because he left us doesn't mean we didn't mean something to him, doesn't mean we couldn't have been used as leverage again. How could he do something like that? We were his family. I'm his son. Holy shit."

Jesse got up and walked over to Ben. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Am I okay?" Ben said, "No, I'm not fucking okay. My father abandoned me multiple times my entire life and had an angel scrub it from my brain so I wouldn't even know. I'm not even in the vicinity of okay."

Jesse pulled Ben into a hug. Ben melted into the embrace and clung to Jesse tightly. He would not cry. He refused to cry.

Jesse asked softly, "Dean is going to be here in a few hours. Are you going to be alright?"

"My mom might still be alive if he hadn't left us," Ben said into Jesse's shoulder, "When he gets here, I'm gonna kill him."


	7. Regarding Dean

When Ben and Jesse emerged from the room, it seemed that Krissy had been adopted by the other women. Alex and Claire sat by her on the couch talking animatedly about something. Jody and Donna were nowhere to be found.

Krissy stood up when the boys entered the living room. "How'd it go?" she asked, "Are you okay?"

Ben said, "It worked, my brain's not fried, but I'm definitely not okay."

Krissy crossed the room and pulled Ben into a hug. "What happened?" she asked over his shoulder.

"Apparently, I'm Dean Winchester's son," Ben said.

Krissy pulled away from him in shock while Alex and Claire simultaneously gasped.

"That's crazy," Claire said, "Dean doesn't have kids."

"I don't think he knows," Ben said, "But he lived with my mom and I for over a year and had Castiel wipe away my memory of him."

Claire shook her head. "That makes no sense. Dean wouldn't just- Cas would never- And how'd he live with you? Dean wouldn't just give up hunting."

Jody walked in from the kitchen and asked, "Alright, what's with all the ruckus?"

Alex said, "Dean is Ben's father."

"What?!" Jody asked, stunned.

"Except he totally can't be," Claire said, "Castiel wouldn't have wiped a kid's memory. And Dean wouldn't have given up hunting for a whole year."

"Claire, honey, that's exactly what he did," Jody said. She turned to Ben and said, "I remember when he stopped hunting. He did it, because Sam died. Even after Sam came back, Bobby told me time and time again how happy he was that Dean got out of this life. I knew he was living with a woman and her kid and that he made a regular life for himself. I couldn't get in the way of that any more than the others could. If you're that kid, it kinda makes sense."

Claire looked at them with a disbelieving expression. She pulled out her phone.

"No, don't tell him," Ben said, "This is something I need to handle myself."

Claire hesitated but put her phone away. "I won't tell him," she said, "My dad left me, too, so I get it. Just don't be too mad at Dean. He's a good guy. He wouldn't have done it unless he had a good reason."

Jesse asked Jody, "Did you say that Sam died?"

Jody shook her head. She said, "Yeah, he died. He went to hell. But he came back. Dean's died, too, a few times. Those boys get into the worst shit. I'm pretty sure they've both died more times than they've told me, which is fine by me as long as their okay now."

"Have they died after 2010?" Jesse asked.

Jody's eyebrows furrowed. She said, "They all have, even Cas. Why do you want to know?"

"Maybe that's why I can't track them. Maybe dying changed the energy they give off," Jesse said.

Jody gave Jesse an odd look before waving a hand. "I don't wanna know. That's...yeah, I don't wanna know," she said, "We should all get some sleep. If I know those boys, they'll be here bright and early."

Everyone agreed.

Krissy slept on the couch, Jesse took the guest bedroom, and Ben had half a mind to join him. But he couldn't sleep. He just kept thinking about Dean and all the memories he now had of him. It hurt knowing that Dean could have willingly left him in his past. And he was angry. So, so angry. He tried to accept the situation for what it was, he tried to forgive Dean for making him forget. It was all futile. Morning couldn't come soon enough.

Luckily, Jody was right. Around 4 a.m., Ben heard a car pull up in the driveway. He looked out the window and saw the now familiar 1967 Chevy Impala. Ben's feet had him rushing out the door in an instant.

Sam Winchester got out of the passenger side. Ben only recognized him from his immense height. Castiel stepped out from the backseat. The sight of him sparked Ben's anger all over again. He now remembered the last time he saw that angel. But Castiel wasn't who Ben was really mad at. Dean got out of the car and fixed Ben with a confused stare. Ben walked up to him quickly.

"Ben?" Dean asked, bewildered.

Ben's fist connected with Dean's face so fast, he was barely aware that he punched him. Sam ran around the car to get between Dean and Ben, but Jesse appeared and pulled Ben back a few feet.

"What the hell are you doing here, kid?" Dean asked, rubbing the side of his face.

Sam looked at Jesse for a moment before going nearly slack-jawed. "It can't be," he muttered.

Dean looked at Ben as if he were seeing a ghost.

Krissy came outside and asked, "What the hell is going on?"

"Krissy?" Dean asked, "Okay, someone wanna tell us what the fuck is happening? Why are you guys here?"

Donna yawned from the doorway and waved them all inside. Castiel took Dean's hand as they walked back into the house, and Ben's brain just about broke. He had so many questions. Jesse gave Ben a concerned glance.

Once inside, Donna said, "Everybody have a seat."

Dean, Sam, and Castiel sat on the couch while Krissy, Ben, and Jesse found seats on the floor. Jody emerged from her bedroom in a loose t-shirt and pajama pants.

Donna said, "Jesse, explain."

"I knew it!" Sam said excitedly, "Holy shit. Jesse Turner?"

Jesse got to his feet quickly and said, "Yes, the one and the same. I need your help. The world is-"

"Jesse Turner, the kid who turned Cas into a toy? The kid who exorcised a demon with one word?" Dean asked.

"It wasn't just one word," Jesse said, "But that's not important right n-"

"Holy hell, kid. How've you been?" Sam asked.

Castiel said softly, "Jesse is trying to tell us something. Let him speak."

"Thank you," Jesse said, "I need your help stopping Ragnarok."

"Ragnarok? But we haven't had an unending winter," Sam said.

Dean looked at his brother, perplexed and judging him for his excessive knowledge.

"It's basic Norse mythology, Dean," Sam said.

"Yes, it's not the true Ragnarok yet," Jesse said, "But the Norse gods are preparing for war as if it is. Odin especially is anxiously awaiting the frost giants."

Dean said, "I hate to break it to you, kid, but Odin's dead."

Jesse grinned and said, "He's not dead, actually. That incarnation of him died. Odin's death is very specific, and even an angry archangel can't change that. But this proves it. You were there when Lucifer killed the gods."

"Yes, we were," Sam said quickly, "What does that have to do with-"

"Do you know where Loki is?" Jesse asked.

Sam looked at his hands. "He died," he said evenly.

"Shit," Jesse said, "Loki is missing. The gods know it. They seem to think he's being tortured. That's why they're gearing up for Ragnarok early. I was hoping you'd have a lead since you were the last ones to see him."

"Are you saying he's alive?" Sam asked.

Dean said, "You're not seriously buying this."

"I believe him," Ben said.

Dean looked at Ben and asked, "Why are you even here?"

It was all Ben could do not to start throwing more punches.

"You know what? Fuck you, Dean," Ben said. He got up and stormed off down the hallway to the guest bedroom.

After all this time, that was all Dean had to say to him? Ben punched the quilt on the bed. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Someone knocked on the door frame. Knocking certainly ruled out Jesse.

Ben opened his eyes to see Dean standing in the doorway.

"What do you want?" Ben asked.

Dean asked, "Can we talk, or are you just gonna deck me again?"

Ben sighed. "We can talk," he said.

"Okay, good. What the hell is going on? Why are you here? How'd you get involved in all this?" Dean asked.

"Jesse found me while he was looking for you. Krissy and I are helping him," Ben said.

"How do you even know Krissy?" Dean asked, "I'm sorry, I'm just a little lost here."

"Krissy saved me from a ghost a year ago. We've been hunting together ever since," Ben said.

"You're hunting?!"

"Oh, like you even care."

"Why are you so pissed at me?" Dean asked, "How do you even know who I am?"

"Jesse undid Castiel's memory wipe. I remember everything," Ben said.

Dean's face fell. "Ben, I can explain," he said.

"Save it," Ben said, "You had an angel erase our memories, you left us. There's nothing you can say to fix that."

Dean dropped down on the bed and ran a hand over his face. He said, "I only did it to protect you."

"Bullshit," Ben said.

"I woulda never hurt you or your mom, but this life is dangerous. You were almost collateral damage once. I couldn't let that happen again," Dean said, "So, I had to leave for good, and you needed to forget me. That was the only way you'd be safe."

"Well, a lot of good that did. I'm a hunter, and Mom's dead."

Dean's gaze snapped up to Ben's. "What?" he asked quickly, "When? What happened?" His fists clenched, and something in his eyes looked broken. Seeing it dissolved some of Ben's anger. Dean cared, Ben could feel it.

"She died in a fire while pinned to the ceiling," Ben said.

"What?" Dean breathed. He said it like he'd been shot, like he had no air left in his lungs. His eyes searched for something that was not there. Dean, for all his strength, looked lost. He closed his eyes as his jaw tightened, holding in some unnamed emotion. After a moment, Dean recovered enough to ask, "Were you there?"

"Yeah," Ben said, "I tried to save her, but she was already bleeding. The flames were everywhere. I barely made it out."

Dean held his head in his hands for a moment. "I'm so sorry," he said.

"It was a few years ago," Ben said, "Doesn't hurt so much anymore."

Dean stood up slowly and walked around the room. He clenched and released his fists until he finally slammed a fist into the bedroom wall. "It's my fault," he said, "Fucking demonic bastards. I should've been there."

"Demonic?" Ben asked.

"Whoever killed your mom was a demon. Not the same one that killed my mom that way, 'cause that asshole's been dead for a long, long time," Dean said, "But whoever it was killed her that way to send a message or copy Azazel. Either way, I should've fucking been there."

"It's not your fault," Ben found himself saying. Even though he'd been blaming Dean just the night before, Ben couldn't find it in him to blame Dean now.

"After we sort this stupid Ragnarok shit, I promise you that I'll track down the demon piece of shit that killed your mom," Dean said.

"If you do, I want in," Ben said.

Dean nodded. He gave Ben an understanding look and said, "You got it."

Ben paused for a bit, studying the older hunter. He thought about telling him what Jesse had said about Dean being Ben's biological father. He decided against it. Ben had already dropped one bomb on him; no need to add to it.

Ben said, "We should probably get back out there." He headed for the door.

"Ben," Dean said, stopping Ben in his tracks, "For what it's worth, I'm glad you remember me."

With that said, the last of Ben's anger evaporated. He turned back towards Dean and hugged him tightly. "Me, too," he said.

Dean returned the hug and said, "I missed you, kid."

Ben would not cry. He would not allow himself to cry. He had more productive things to do than start crying. A single tear escaped his eye before he steeled himself and released Dean. The air was thick with unspoken words.

Dean gave Ben a tight smile and said, "We should get back out there."

"Yeah, you're right," Ben said.

When Dean and Ben rejoined the others, Jesse was interrogating Sam and Castiel. "Is there any possible chance that you have something that Gabriel touched?" Jesse asked.

Ben sat down next to Krissy and muttered, "Who's Gabriel?"

"The archangel that was apparently posing as Loki. We're unclear if Loki's missing or if Gabriel's missing or if they've always been the same person," Krissy replied, "It's confusing."

"No way do we have any of that douchebag's stuff," Dean said, "If that winged asshole touched it, I probably burned it."

"Dean, Gabriel died protecting us from Lucifer and trying to save the world. We wouldn't have stopped the apocalypse without him. Would it kill you to show a little respect?" Sam said.

Dean said, "He died for the greater good once. I died just for his sheer entertainment how many times? He's got my respect for the sacrifice play, but he's still a douchebag. There is not a chance in hell that we have anything that he touched."

"Actually," Sam said, "We do."


	8. You Can't Handle the Truth

"Why the ever loving fuck do you have Gabriel's porn?"

"I, um, it's uh, it seemed disrespectful to get rid of it, y'know?" Sam said, "And it's not just Casa Erotica. It had the message on there."

Dean shook his head in disbelief. "You watched it, didn't you?"

"No!" Sam said quickly, "No, I didn't watch-his last words are on there. It didn't feel right to just-it doesn't matter. It's something he touched, and that's-shut up, Dean."

Dean grinned at his brother and said to Ben, "He definitely watched it."

Ben felt like there was some part of this that he was missing, but he chuckled lightly anyway.

"Where is it?" Jesse asked Sam.

Sam said, "Back in Kansas in the bunker."

"Hidden in his sock drawer I bet," Dean said.

Sam shot him a look.

Jesse said, "If you have an address, I can bring the DVD here right now."

"I doubt that," Castiel said, "We've been reinforcing the bunker with wards against the supernatural. Even with your powers, I'm not sure you'd be able to access it."

Sam pulled a small notepad out of his jacket pocket. He scribbled some numbers on it and handed it to Jesse. "The bunker doesn't have an actual address, but here's the coordinates for it," Sam said.

Jesse said, "That works, too," and took the notepad from him. He closed his eyes. Slowly, his brow furrowed with deepening concentration. "It seems your wards do work against me. I can't get a sense of anything at these coordinates," Jesse said, "Maybe that's why I couldn't track you. I thought it was because you've all died since we last met, but knowing that you live in something as shielded as this, it could really go either way."

"How were you trying to track us?" Sam asked.

Jesse said, "I can sense energy. Sometimes, I need something they've touched or left DNA on, like with Gabriel, but if I've met them before and been around their energy, I can usually locate people with a single thought."

"The bunker might've prevented that," Sam said, "But we've left the bunker a few times lately, so I don't think that was the problem."

"I'm fairly sure it was your deaths that threw me off. Your energies feel different than when we first met," Jesse said.

"Yeah, about that," Krissy said, "You wanna tell us how you're all sitting here right now?"

Dean said, "We've got an interesting relationship with death."

"You did kill the guy," Sam said.

"Yeah, that was-that's a different story," Dean said, "Since we last saw Jesse, Sam went to hell, I got stabbed to death by Metatron, and Cas died at least four different times."

"Lucifer exploded him, the leviathan mess happened, that one angel stabbed him when he was human, and Lucifer killed him again when Jack was born," Sam listed off.

"Don't even get me started on that kid," Dean said gruffly.

"And you're here how?" Ben asked, staring at the three of them with wide eyes.

"Cas saved Sam from hell, the Mark of Cain resurrected me as a demon, and Cas just got very lucky," Dean said.

"That explains nothing," Krissy said.

Dean sighed and said, "It's a very long story. Important thing is that we're not dead right now."

"So, what's the plan to get the DVD now?" Ben asked.

Jesse said, "I can teleport us to Kansas to the bunker."

"I thought you said you can't sense the bunker," Ben said.

Jesse nodded. "Yes, I'd take us right next to it where I can actually see where we'd be appearing," he said.

"And the cars?" Krissy asked.

Jesse rolled his eyes. He said, "I'll bring the cars with, with everything intact and in place, I promise."

"I want to come with," Claire said from next to Krissy.

"Oh, no," Dean said, "Nope. There is no reason for you to get involved in this, kid. Just stay here with Jody and Donna. We'll handle-"

"He does that to you, too?" Krissy asked Claire.

"Treat me like a kid? All the time," Claire said, "Doesn't matter that I'm an adult or a capable hunter. He just wants me to stay benched even when something exciting is happening."

"Possible end of the world isn't exciting, Claire, it's terrible," Dean said.

"You know what else is terrible? Knowing that you guys are going to get involved in something ridiculous and not being there to help. I've lost enough family and don't want to lose more," Claire snapped.

Krissy gave Claire an understanding look. "I think she should come with us," she said.

Dean said, "I don't think either of you should be coming with." He looked to Jody for back up.

"Don't look at me," Jody said, "Claire knows how I feel about her getting into dangerous situations. Hasn't stopped her ever. Just stay as safe as you can, you guys."

Claire smiled at Jody and Donna.

Dean rolled his eyes and said, "Fine, but when the shit hits the fan, Sam, Cas, and I call the shots."

Claire nodded in agreement.

"Alright," Dean said, turning back to Jesse, "How does your whole teleportation thing work?"

The group of them stood on a small road in a rural area. Castiel looked around, reorienting himself. Dean paused for a moment, taking in the sudden change of scenery.

Sam said, "The bunker's just up the road. Maybe a two minute walk."

"Or we could drive and save us all the effort," Dean said, walking over to the Impala.

Sam rolled his eyes while he and Cas got into the car.

Krissy pulled out her keys and headed for her truck, followed by Claire.

Jesse looked at Ben and asked, "Do you trust me?"

Ben nodded. They landed on the ground with a hard thud just outside of a rusty, metal door surrounded by a semicircle of brick.

"That's very interesting," Jesse said.

Ben asked, "Is this the bunker?"

Jesse nodded. "I aimed straight for the spot that I couldn't see. I figured we'd end up somewhere inside, but this bunker is very well warded. Impressive."

"We could've just ridden in the truck with Krissy and Claire," Ben said.

Jesse smiled and said, "I know. I was just curious if it would work. And it was faster."

While the quick trip was faster, it was negligibly faster. The Impala and Krissy's truck pulled up to the bunker in less than a minute.

As the Impala got closer, Sam rolled down his window. "There's a garage around the side that we're gonna park in. We'll come let you inside in a second," he said.

Ben nodded. Jesse stared at the metal door as the vehicles headed for a garage Ben couldn't see.

"It's so strange," Jesse said, "Normally, I can tell what's on the other side of a door. I can get a sense of lifeforms, energy patterns, but this place is just blank. I haven't been blind like this since before my abilities fully emerged."

Ben couldn't fathom what it must be like to be in Jesse's head, but it sounded amazing. To have such sharp perception must've been incredible.

"Do you ever get sensory overload from sensing things the way you do?" Ben asked.

Jesse nodded. "Sometimes, but I've gotten used to it. And I can turn it off if I want. Sensing energy is entirely optional, but it's too useful a skill for me to bother with reining it in."

Castiel opened the door in front of them with a small grimace and said, "Come in. Sam's going to find the DVD now."

Jesse and Ben walked in, and they were equally surprised at the place they were seeing. They stood on a balcony overlooking what looked like an old 1940's war room. The whole interior of the place had the same aesthetic, kind of militaristic with a hint of home.

Cas led them down a set of spiraling stairs and into a room with a long wooden table and some old lamps. Dean stood there, pointing a few things out to Claire and Krissy.

Krissy walked over to Ben and said, "Do you believe this place? It's amazing. They've got a whole library in here."

Ben grinned. The bunker was awesome. It was a lot to take in, but it was pretty cool.

"How'd you guys find this place?" Ben asked.

Dean said, "Our grandfather was part of the Men of Letters. They were basically the research portion of the hunting world back in the day. The Men of Letters got killed off in the US, but because Sam and I are related to a member, we kind of inherited the place. It's nice. Sure, we still stay at shitty motels and travel all over, but it's nice to have a place to call home, y'know?"

Something bothered Ben about Dean feeling at home in this place. Dean had been home when he'd lived with him and his mom back in Michigan. He knew it was stupid, but he kind of felt like the bunker and Sam and Castiel and the rest of Dean's life had replaced him a long time ago. He squelched the feeling and just tried to be happy that Dean had somewhere to call home.

Sam walked in with a DVD case in his hands.

Dean shot Sam an amused look.

Sam ignored him and handed the DVD to Jesse. "Here it is," Sam said, "I'm not sure how much you'll get out of it. Gabriel touched it over ten years ago."

Jesse nodded and closed his eyes, holding the DVD case with both hands. Ben found it kind of funny to see Jesse concentrating so hard over a copy of Casa Erotica, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

Jesse's hands started to shake.

"Jesse, you okay?" Ben asked.

Jesse's eyes flew open, and he dropped to the ground, shaking violently.

"Jesse!" Ben shouted. He ran for his friend and knelt next to him with hands hovering, not sure what to do, how to help. Ben pulled Jesse into his arms, and Jesse let out a scream that shook Ben to his bones.

Ben knocked the DVD out of Jesse's grip, the plastic case skittering across the bunker floor. Jesse's eyes closed, and he fell limp in Ben's arms.

"Jesse?" Ben said, fear gripping his chest tightly, "Jesse, look at me." Jesse's breath came steadily. Ben pressed a hand to Jesse's neck. His pulse was strong and present. For all intents and purposes, Jesse was just asleep. Ben held the side of Jesse's face, hoping that his friend would wake up in a moment and be fine.

"What the fuck just happened?" Krissy asked.

Castiel said, "I believe Jesse was successful in connecting to Gabriel through the DVD. I think whatever connection was established may have been too powerful for Jesse to handle."

"More powerful than Jesse?" Krissy asked.

"Gabriel is an archangel. Connecting to grace of that magnitude may be more power than Jesse is used to," Castiel said, "The only other alternative that I can think of is that Gabriel is currently being tortured."

Sam paled.

"What does that mean for Jesse?" Ben asked.

Jesse groaned in his arms and immediately recaptured Ben's attention.

"That was unexpected," Jesse said weakly.

"Jesse? Hey, you alright?" Ben asked.

"I found him," Jesse said, looking up at Ben, "I was just getting a sense of his surroundings and trying to place where he's located when a bright light and loud noise filled the connection. He was screaming. It hurt. It hurt so much. I couldn't see where he was, I couldn't-I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Ben said, "You're okay."

Jesse clung onto Ben's jacket, hugging himself to Ben. "I've never felt pain like that before," he said shakily.

Ben tightened his grip on his friend. Slowly, he helped Jesse get back on his feet. Once standing, Jesse swayed where he stood.

Ben kept his arm around him and asked, "Do you have somewhere he can lie down?" He looked at Dean.

Dean stared between Ben and Jesse with a perplexed look on his face. For the first time, Ben felt self-conscious of how he and Jesse must have looked to everyone else in the room. He kept a hold of his friend regardless.

"Yeah, there's a bedroom you can use," Dean said, looking over at Sam.

Sam nodded and silently picked up the DVD from the floor.

Ben met Krissy's gaze and felt dread settle in his stomach. She faced him with a hard stare that said they'd definitely be talking about this later.

Sam motioned for Ben and Jesse to follow him. Krissy came along as well, taking a position at Jesse's other side.

Castiel grabbed Dean's hand tightly. Dean took the angel's hand in both of his. They shared a look before Dean clapped a reassuring hand on Castiel's shoulder.

Ben didn't know what the fuck to think about any of that. He focused on keeping Jesse balanced and following Sam through the bunker.

When they got to the room, Krissy and Ben dropped Jesse onto the bed. Their friend muttered a thank you but was asleep immediately. The poor guy seemed terribly drained.

Ben turned around, surprised to see Claire in the room with them.

Krissy grabbed a chair from against the wall and sat down backwards on it, looking at Ben intently. "Talk," she said.

"About?" Ben asked.

Krissy gave him a look.

Ben said, "I don't know what you want me to say."

"How about you start with how you and Jesse are so very close even though we just met him two days ago," Krissy said.

"Two days?" Claire asked, motioning between Ben and Jesse, "I thought you guys were dating or something."

Ben said quickly, "No, we're not-not like that. It's complicated."

Krissy said evenly, "Uncomplicate it."

"I don't know what it is. There's just something about him," Ben said.

"You sound like you're falling in love with him or something," Krissy said.

"What? No, I'm not-we're not-I wouldn't-I mean, maybe I am? I don't know. We just met him. I don't know what to think."

Krissy shook her head. She said, "There's just something about him, right?"

Ben nodded, looking at his sleeping friend.

"God, you're hopeless," Krissy said, "Well, I'm here for you when it all goes to hell. Just give me a head's up next time you develop feelings for weird demigod guys we pick up randomly."

"I think it's kind of cute," Claire said, looking at Krissy.

Krissy smiled and said, "Oh, sure, it's cute. It's just also incredibly reckless. I just hope you know what you're doing, Ben."

"You can rest assured that I have no clue what I'm doing. I'm just going with it," Ben said.

Krissy gave Ben a look. "Yeah, 'cause that's a good plan," she said, "Well, I'll let Sleeping Beauty get his rest, maybe do some research with Sam on all this weirdness."

"I'm gonna stay here with him," Ben said.

Krissy shook her head. "Of course you are." She gave Ben a small smile before leaving the room. Claire followed her, the girls talking quietly once they reached the hallway.

Ben looked at Jesse asleep on the bed. "You didn't hear any of that, did you?" he asked.

Jesse was fast asleep.

"Good," Ben breathed. The poor guy looked exhausted. They were gonna need another way to find Gabriel; there was no way Ben would feel comfortable asking Jesse to try tracking with the DVD again.

Ben grabbed the chair Krissy had been sitting in and pulled it to the side of the bed. He took hold of Jesse's hand.

Jesse had seemed really shaken after all the pain the DVD caused. He wanted to make sure he was there when Jesse woke up in case experiencing all that pain had any lingering effects. Jesse had made sure Ben had a safe space when he restored his memories; the least Ben could do was return the favor.

He didn't know why he felt so strongly for Jesse in such a short amount of time, but he'd never felt so sure about something before. He didn't know if it was a crush or attraction or if he was falling for him, but he wanted to find out.

After a while, Dean and Castiel walked in. Ben kept holding Jesse's hand despite how it may have looked. Ben looked between them and asked, "What's going on between you two?"

Dean paused, earning a look from Castiel. "Wow. Straight to the point," Dean said, "I was going to ask you the same thing." He gestured to Jesse's sleeping form.

"It's complicated," Ben said.

Dean nodded and sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle Jesse too much.

"Cas and I are together," Dean said, "Have been for a few years now."

Ben had to take a minute to swallow that. He wasn't entirely shocked given the physical contact he'd witnessed, but he was still entirely caught off guard that Dean would just spell it out for him like that.

"A few years," Ben said, processing, "That's, umm, yeah. Since when are you gay?"

Dean gave Ben a look. "You of all people should know what being bi looks like," he said.

Dean did have a point. Ben nodded. "Fair enough," he said, "So, what's 'a few years?'"

Dean looked at Castiel. "I've known Cas for nearly thirteen years now, but we didn't get together till just five years ago," he said, "Should've happened sooner, but we figured it out eventually."

Ben released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. When he realized why, he felt a bit embarrassed.

Dean noticed. He gave Ben a confused look. "I, uh, I was just figuring out time frame between Castiel and my mom," Ben said slowly.

"Oh, hell, kid. I never cheated on your mom. Even after I left her, Cas didn't replace Lisa," Dean said.

"Nor would I want to," Castiel said, "She did for Dean what I couldn't. She gave him a home when he needed it most. I saved her life once, and if I were anything like the angel I used to be, I'd try to restore her to you now."

Dean put a hand on Castiel's arm for a moment. He turned to Ben and explained. "Heaven cut him off after he saved Lucifer's offspring. It's a long story. Point being, Cas' angel mojo hasn't had batteries in a while," he said. He looked at Castiel and said, "Which is completely fine, because he's a useful hunter even without the angel juice."

Castiel rolled his eyes.

"Angels can raise the dead?" Ben asked. He wasn't surprised by the idea, but he still felt the need to make sure.

"If they feel like it, yeah," Dean said, "That's how Cas and I met. He pulled my ass out of Hell."

Ben really didn't know how Dean could say something like that so casually, and he decided he didn't want to know.

"Did you guys come in here for a reason?" Ben asked. He didn't mean to be abrupt or anything, but the last thing he wanted to think about was how or why Dean had been in Hell.

"Yes, actually," Castiel said, "I wanted to apologize for my role in altering your memory. It was done with the best intentions and as a favor to Dean. Just know that it wasn't a decision made lightly. Still, I'm sorry. I did not mean to hurt you or your mother in any way."

Ben blinked at the angel. That was just about the last thing he'd expected to hear.

Cas stared at Ben, waiting for a response.

Ben said, "Thank you. I accept your apology. I was pretty pissed when I first found out, but I get that you were trying to help."

Cas gave Ben a small, relieved smile. "I'm glad," he said, "I'll, umm, leave you two to talk."

Dean watched Cas as the angel took his leave.

After a moment, Dean turned to Ben and said, "I'm glad you forgave Cas, but I gotta ask, are we okay?" He gestured between himself and Ben.

Ben said, "I'm not as pissed as I was, but it still feels like you ran out on us."

"Ben-"

"But I get that you were only doing it to protect us," Ben said, cutting Dean off, "Even if I was still angry, it's not like I can change the past. Besides, I remember you now, and that's the important part. So, yeah, we're okay."

Something lit up inside Dean's eyes. Ben never had a real dad, but that look made him think that this was what it felt like.

"Good," Dean said, "It's real good to hear that."

"Any other burning questions?" Ben asked.

Dean nodded towards Jesse. "So, you and him, huh?"

Ben said, "Maybe? I don't know. I only met him a couple days ago."

"You guys are awful cozy for knowing each other a couple days."

Ben sighed, "I know. I just feel really comfortable around him. It's weird. Was it like that when you first met my mom?"

Dean laughed and said, "Not really. Your mom was a yoga instructor. When we first met, that was all I needed to know."

Ben shuddered inwardly at the thought. "What about you and Cas, then?" he asked.

Dean shook his head. "When I first met Cas, I shot and stabbed him. No exactly love at first sight."

Ben sighed.

"You'll figure it out," Dean said, "Anyways, I'm gonna go find Cas and make sure he's not moping. He gets really sensitive about his power situation when he sees other using theirs."

Ben looked at Jesse. He didn't know what fueled Jesse's powers, but Ben hoped nothing like that would ever happen to him.

Before Dean could get to the door, Ben asked, "Does it ever get weird?"

"What?" Dean asked.

"Does it get weird knowing that Cas isn't human?" Ben asked, glancing at Jesse.

Dean said, "Cas and I have been through so much shit together, it's never really mattered to me as long as he wasn't off being Heaven's bitch. Powers or no powers, Cas is always human enough for me."

"But he's not human, not really," Ben said, "Isn't it like an inter-species thing?"

Dean chuckled even though he was clearly taken aback. "You're the one hanging around the Antichrist. Does it feel that way to you?"

"What?" Ben asked, his chest tightening. His heart started pounding in his ears. He barely heard when Dean continued talking.

"What I'm trying to say is it's not what they are but who they-"

"Antichrist? What are you talking about?" Ben asked.

Dean said, "Jesse. He's the Antichrist, or I guess technically, he's an Antichrist since Cas says there could easily be more."

"I don't understand." Ben desperately wanted to understand. None of it made any sense.

"The kid's half demon, half human. How'd you think he does all the shit he can do? Didn't he tell you?" Dean asked.

Ben felt like such an idiot. He shouldn't have so easily trusted someone he just fucking met. But Jesse was a good guy. He helped them, he fixed his memory, he was kind and sweet.

But Dean knew Jesse, worked a case that had Jesse at the middle of it. Being half demon could certainly be the missing piece of the puzzle surrounding Jesse and his ridiculously powerful abilities.

He looked at Jesse, still out cold, and realized he didn't know the guy at all. Ben wanted to get to know him, or at least he had until a few seconds before. The Antichrist? That was a tough pill to swallow.

Ben removed his hand from Jesse's.

"Ben," Dean said, trying to get his attention.

Ben ignored him. How could he have been so stupid, so goddamn trusting? Ben felt a twinge of fear looking at Jesse now. He left the room quickly.


	9. Born Under a Bad Sign

Krissy and Claire were pouring over some books when Ben walked into the library.

Dean was quick on his heels. "Ben, relax. It's not that big of a deal," he said.

Ben said, "Not a big deal? Are you crazy?"

"The kid can't help what he is," Dean said.

"What's going on?" Krissy asked, looking up from her book.

Dean hesitated, deferring to Ben on how much information to share.

Ben said, "Dean told me what Jesse is."

Krissy sat up straighter, all ears.

"He's half demon, or as Dean put it, the fucking Antichrist," Ben said.

Sam came out from the racks of books with a couple large tomes in his arms. "An Antichrist, not the Antichrist," he corrected, "But Cambion is probably more accurate."

"Whatever," Ben said.

Sam put the books down on one of the tables and faced Ben. "You shouldn't judge someone just because they have demon blood in their veins," he said.

Ben wanted to tell him he didn't know what he was talking about. He had the response on the tip of his tongue, but something about the way Sam said what he did made him stop.

Dean said, "If you trust him and feel comfortable with him, I'd trust your instincts. Jesse was a good kid, and considering he's trying to help save the world, I think it's safe to say he's one of the good guys."

Ben shook his head. He said, "I can't trust him now that I know he's demonic. How could I?"

"Only half demonic," Jesse said, appearing in the library behind Ben.

Ben whirled around, stepping back a few paces.

"I didn't want you to find out this way," Jesse said, "I should've been the one to tell you."

"Why didn't you?" Ben asked.

Jesse raised his eyebrows. "This," he said, "No one reacts well to learning about my heritage. It's not a very good ice breaker to say the least. I needed your help, and if you knew about me, there was a very good chance that you'd try to kill me instead."

"He's got a point," Krissy said after a moment, "I know I threatened his life a few times, but had I known he was the Antichrist, I would've put a few bullets in him."

"Would you try to kill me now?" Jesse asked.

Krissy shook her head. "Nah, you saved my life. If you were really evil, you would've let me be collateral damage. I don't like all the teleportation, but otherwise, you're alright."

Jesse turned to Ben, looking him in the eye. "What about you?" he asked.

Ben said, "No, I don't want to kill you. I just don't know if I'll ever be able to trust you."

Jesse's eyes dropped to the floor. "I'm still the same person you've known the last couple of days," he said.

"Couple of days?" Sam whispered to Dean. Dean gave him a knowing look.

"Yeah, that's what bothers me," Ben said, "How do I know you didn't do something one of the times you were in my head? How do I know that you haven't been influencing me? I've behaved in ways around you that I've never acted around anyone else. How do I know that you're not manipulating me into trusting you or having feelings for you, or hell, even kissing you?"

Krissy eyebrows skyrocketed, but she said nothing.

Jesse regarded Ben for a moment. Ben couldn't help but notice that Jesse still looked incredibly tired, like just standing was taking all the effort he had.

Jesse asked, "Can I talk to you privately?"

Ben hesitated but nodded. Before he knew it, he and Jesse were back in the bedroom Dean had let them use.

"You want to know how you can trust me?" Jesse asked.

Ben waited without responding.

Jesse said, "I can hear other's thoughts without trying, but I stay out of your head out of respect for you. I have no idea what you're thinking right now. I could, but I don't.

"You can trust me, because we're even having this conversation right now. I have the ability to overpower free will. Remember when Dean said I exorcised a demon with a word? I told it to get out of its host. It obeyed, because I told it to. But I don't use that power. Ever. You know why? Because overriding free will is wrong. I won't use that power on anyone but especially not you. You're the first friend I've ever really had, and I would never betray you.

"You trusted me, because you felt you could. Whatever feelings you had for me were formed by you and you alone. You kissed me out of your own free will, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

"Sam and Dean asked me at a young age to use my powers for good, and that is exactly what I've done. I help people, I heal those that need it, I save people when I can. It would be so easy for me to be what you're worried that I am, but I refuse to be a monster. I didn't ask to have my abilities, I didn't ask to be born the way that I was, but I try to make the best of it.

"Ask me anything, and I'll answer. Tell me you want nothing to do with me, and I'll leave. Just know that no matter what, you can trust me."

Ben didn't know what to say to that.

Jesse watched him, scrutinizing his expression expectantly.

Ben didn't know how the hell to respond. He stared at the ground as if the words he was looking for would be written there.

"Ben?" Jesse asked.

"You're right," Ben said, "I can trust you; I do trust you. I just need some time to absorb all this. It's a lot."

Jesse looked at Ben with a hurt expression as if he'd been slapped or shouted at. He swallowed and gained a stoic composure. "I understand," he said, "I need to search for a new way to find Gabriel or a way to buffer the connection so I can try to track him again. I'll be in the library if you need me."

Without another word, Jesse disappeared.

Ben ran a hand over his face. Two days ago, this was not his life. What the hell. He took a deep breath. How could he explain to Jesse that despite being shocked and thrown for a loop, Ben still felt something for him? How could he express the stuff he still needed to get straight in his head for himself? He left the room and headed towards the library. He needed to find a way to kill time while Jesse researched and he adjusted to everything that just happened. As he turned the corner, he found Sam and Dean leaving the library. Seeing Dean, he got a pretty good idea of what he needed to do.

"Hey, kid. You okay?" Dean asked, "Jesse came back without you but wouldn't tell us what-"

Ben said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Dean, I really need to talk to y-"

Krissy came out of the library and walked straight up to Ben. "You kissed Jesse?" she asked, incredulous.

"Jesus, Krissy. It's not that big of a deal."

"When? When did you kiss Jesse? How? You've only known him for two fucking days? When did this even happen?" Krissy asked.

Ben sighed. "I've moved way faster with girls, and you've never cared about that."

"Those girls did not have Jesse's powers. Those girls were not asking us for help with saving the world. Those girls didn't mean anything to you. This is very different," Krissy said.

Ben said, "I kissed him when he restored my memory. Can we not talk about this right now?" He looked over at Dean. He really needed to talk to him.

Krissy nodded with a concerned look on her face. "I'll be back in there, then," she said, gesturing to the library. She retreated quietly.

"You need to talk to me?" Dean asked after a moment.

Ben nodded. "It's important," he said, "Jesse is going to try to find a way to track Gabriel safely. I don't know how long that's gonna take. In the meantime, I want to hunt down the son of a bitch that killed Mom."

Dean's eyes widened a little as he said, "Hunting down a specific demon could take a while. I don't know if Jesse's research is gonna take as long as we'd need."

Ben shook his head. "I just want to go back to the house in Michigan, and check it out for anything obvious. We can work it like a real case after all this. I just need to get away for a bit."

Sam glanced at Dean.

Dean ran a hand over his face in a way that reminded Ben of himself. "Yeah, we can go. Should just take a day or two to get there and back," he said, "Sam, you okay staying here and helping Cas babysit?"

Sam said, "Yeah, I'll stay. I know my way around the archives better than they do anyway." He left Dean and Ben alone in the hallway as he went to join the others.

Ben's heart crept into his throat as Dean led the way to the garage. He had to tell him, he had to tell him before they left.

Once Ben saw the Impala, he steeled his nerves. "Dean, there's something else I need to tell you before we go," he said.

Dean looked at Ben. Ben wondered briefly what his life would've been like if Dean hadn't just lived with them for a year. How would things have been different if Dean had been there his whole life?

"Jesse figured out why he found me instead of you," Ben said, "You see, Jesse couldn't find you, so he used a tracking spell. When it couldn't lock onto you, the spell bounced Jesse to me."

"Okay," Dean said, clearly waiting for more.

Ben took a deep breath. How would he react? Would Dean be happy? Upset? Mad that he hadn't told him sooner? "It couldn't find you, so the spell found the next best thing, your blood," Ben said, "It bounced him to me, because I'm your son."


	10. Home

Ben stared out the passenger window of the Impala as they drove into Iowa. He pretended to be studying the rolling landscape, but really, his mind was replaying Dean's reaction over and over again to the point that he felt like he was going insane.

"I'm your son," Ben had said.

Dean had paused, paled a little, and walked over to the Impala.

Once in the car, Ben had asked, "Did you hear what I said?"

"Yep," was all Dean had said before starting the engine and cranking up the radio.

Two hours later, crossing the border into Iowa, they still hadn't said anything more about it. Ben watched the telephone wires dip and rise along the highway. He had to talk to him. He had to say something. At the next mile marker, he'd say something. The mile marker whisked by the car, and Ben kept quiet. But they had to talk about it, right?

After they passed the next exit, Ben reached over and turned down the volume on Led Zeppelin.

Dean took a deep, patient breath and kept his eyes trained on the road.

"Are we gonna talk about this?" Ben asked.

"Talk about what?" Dean asked.

Ben looked at Dean. Seriously? "What I told you before we left," Ben said.

Dean nodded, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "See, this is the kind of situation where I'd try to figure out what my dad would do," he said, "Turns out, his plan was to take the kid to a baseball game every year on his birthday. Call me crazy, but I feel like that wouldn't be the solution here."

"Yeah, probably not," Ben said.

Dean fell silent again.

"Dean?"

No response.

"Dean, how do-"

"Do you like baseball?" Dean asked.

Ben frowned. "What?" he asked.

"Do you like baseball? I mean, I haven't seen you in who knows how long. I figure we could catch up, y'know?"

Ben said, "I like baseball enough. I'd never play, but I'll watch a game every now and then. Dean, don't you want to talk about the fact that you're-"

"You sure you're not Sam's kid?" Dean asked, "He's always trying to talk out feelings and crap."

Ben rolled his eyes. "I just want to know what your reaction is to all of this," he said.

"My reaction?" Dean asked, "Why?"

"Well, 'cause this changes things. I've never had a dad, and I've never really questioned it, but this is kind of a big deal, 'cause if you haven't noticed, I don't have much in the way of family any more," Ben said.

Dean's knuckles turned white on the steering wheel, and his jaw visibly clenched.

"Dean?" Ben asked.

Dean didn't bat an eye, just kept staring at the road ahead of them.

"Dean?" Ben tried again.

Dean adjusted his grip on the wheel but kept silent.

Ben said an insistent, "Dad."

Dean flinched. "Okay, you wanna know how I feel about you being my kid?" he said, "I'm fucking terrified, okay? I never thought I'd have kids. Now, I find out I have one, and I missed out of his entire life minus a year. My dad wasn't the best, but he kept me alive and was around enough. I wasn't there for you at all, and I should've been. So, I've already screwed up being a parent worse than my mess of a dad, and I only found out a couple hours ago. It's a lot to take in."

Ben stared at Dean, watched as the hunter breathed, calming himself down.

"Well," Ben said, "For what it's worth, I'm glad you're my dad."

Dean's serious expression softened a little. "Thanks," he said.

"I know you probably never wanted kids, so I was kind of worried that you were upset when I told you," Ben said.

Dean glanced over at Ben. "What? No, I'm not upset. Overwhelmed, sure, but not upset," he said, "I told you mom when I first met you that I'd be proud to be your dad, and that's still true now."

As shocked as Ben was to hear that, he couldn't keep the smile from his face. "That's kinda exactly what I was hoping to hear," he said, "Wait, if you said that to Mom, why didn't she tell you about me?"

Dean said, "Pretty sure she's the only one who knew the answer to that, kid, but I can guess."

Ben gave Dean a confused look. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"When I asked her if you were mine, I was just a fun weekend to her. She didn't know me," Dean said, "After the thing with the changelings, she knew about my job. Probably didn't want you around all that. Maybe if I stayed for a bit like she asked, she would've told me, but I didn't."

"Why didn't you?" Ben asked.

"You're a hunter. You know how dangerous this shit is. But at the time, I only had a few months to live. I didn't want to put that crap on you guys," Dean said.

Ben didn't know what to say to that. He was never going to get used to hearing about the fact that Dean had died multiple times.

"So, how are you feeling about all this?" Dean asked, "Can't imagine you're all that excited to find out you're a Winchester."

Ben sighed, "I don't know," he said, "The only dad I ever had was you, so it sort of feels like nothing changed. But for the most part, I'm just really curious about everything."

"Curious?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, curious about you and your life, your family. You talk about being a Winchester like it's a bad thing. I don't know what being a Winchester even means."

"Oh," Dean said, "What do you wanna know?"

"Everything," Ben said, "Why'd you start hunting? What are your parents like? Do you have other family? I know you mentioned that your dad had a kid he didn't know about, but otherwise-"

"Okay, you're not gonna like the answers to any of that," Dean said, "Being a Winchester means that you're cursed. We all are. My parents are both dead. My mom's death, the first one anyway, is how we started hunting. She died same way as yours, and Dad had to get revenge. So, me and Sam grew up in the life. As for other family, all my grandparents died, most of 'em in front of me. Dad had another son he never told us about, but Adam died, too. Had a bunch of cousins on my mom's side. They all died. Sam is my only living relative aside from you."

Ben stared out the windshield, wide eyed. "What kind of curse does all that?" he asked.

Dean huffed a dark laugh. "It's called hunting. Mom was a hunter, her parents were hunters, her cousins were all hunters. Dad was a hunter. His dad was a Man of Letters, but in the end, he was basically a hunter. All of 'em were hunters, and all of 'em died bloody. That's just how this life is."

"But you're still a hunter," Ben said.

Dean nodded and said, "The rewards are worth the risk. Getting to save people, let them keep living their lives is worth all the rest of it. It is to me anyway."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Ben said.

Dean looked over at Ben and asked, "So, how on earth did you start hunting?"

Ben grinned. He told him about the woman in white that he and Krissy put down last year. He told him about some of the other hunts they'd gone on. Dean told Ben about some of his cases with Sam. They talked all the way to Michigan about hunting, about family, about Ben's life, about Dean's life. Dean was very upset to learn that Ben had been in foster care for a couple years after Lisa died. Ben wanted to know why everyone in his new family seemed to think making deals with demons was a good idea. They stopped for food a few times, restroom breaks and filling up the car, too, but they talked all the while.

Eventually, they made it all the way to Battle Creek, Michigan.

As they turned onto Weinbach Avenue, Ben was saying, "And seriously, if Krissy had missed with that molotov, that wendigo would've gotten us for sure."

"At least you had a molotov cocktail, I had to torch one with a flare gun," Dean said.

"Whoa, really?" Ben asked.

Dean pulled the Impala into the driveway and stopped. He turned off the engine.

Ben stared at the house. The sun had set a few hours ago, and the darkness did nothing but add to Ben's sense of dread. He hadn't been back to the house since the fire. The city had rebuilt it to look just like the original.

"You sure you can do this?" Dean asked.

Ben nodded. He had to know.

"And you know we might not find anything in there, right?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I know," Ben said, never taking his eyes away from the house.

Dean turned to Ben and said, "Hey, listen. I don't know what we're gonna find in there if anything. But after this, I want you to know that you have a home at the bunker if you want one."

Ben looked at Dean. "What?" he asked.

Dean said, "Sam and I were on the road for a long time. Aside from this car, we never really had a home. I never want you to feel like that. I know what it's like to watch the only home you've ever really known go up in flames. So, no matter what we find in there, you always have a home with me."

Ben leaned over and hugged his dad tightly. "Thanks, Dean," he said.

Dean returned the hug briefly before releasing Ben and saying, "Alright, let's do this."

They got out of the car and headed up to the house.

"Do you know if anyone lives here?" Ben asked.

Dean asked, "You didn't look into that before we got here?"

Ben shrugged. It honestly hadn't crossed his mind.

Dean said, "Well, judging by the Foreclosure sign, I'd say we've got a shot. Only one way to be sure."

Ben walked up to the door. His hand hung in the air for a moment before pressing the doorbell. Ben didn't hear it ring. He knocked loudly. Nothing happened.

Dean pulled out his lock pick and got to work on the door. As soon as Dean opened it, Ben walked right inside.

"Looks like we're in luck," Dean said. The walls were completely bare. Each room was empty, no furniture, no sign of life anywhere. It was strange seeing the house he'd lived in for so long being so empty and dead.

Ben tried a light switch to his left. Nothing happened. No power. Great.

Dean pulled out his flashlight along with his EMF detector.

"What's that for?" Ben asked.

"It's to check for any-"

"I know what an EMF does. I thought you said this was a demon."

Dean gave Ben a concerned look before training his gaze on the EMF. "There was a violent death here," he said, "Just gotta be sure that your mom isn't…"

"Oh," Ben said. He hoped the EMF stayed quiet.

Ben slowly walked into the living room, his footsteps echoing off the hardwood floors. The room had absolutely nothing in it.

"Did it happen in her bedroom?" Dean asked.

Ben nodded, rejoining him near the entrance to the kitchen.

"We should check upstairs, then," Dean said, looking at the stairs.

Ben sighed. He had absolutely zero desire to go anywhere near that room. But Dean was right. And he had to know.

Ben took the stairs two at a time so he wouldn't just go right back down. The bedroom was a hole of gaping darkness on the second floor. Dean's flashlight illuminated it, but it didn't do much to brighten the area. There were no EMF readings when Dean entered the bedroom, and Ben released a relieved breath. The idea of the house being haunted, especially by his dead mother, was not something he ever wanted to think about.

Ben stepped over the threshold into the bedroom, took one look at the ceiling, and walked right back out. The room was entirely different, the walls were a different color, it was all rebuilt, but that didn't keep the smell of smoke or the heat of the flames out of his head. He ran down the stairs, catching his breath against one of the walls of the first floor.

Dean followed quickly. "Ben, you okay?" he asked.

Ben nodded and said, "Yeah, I just-I can't be in there. I'll, uhh, I'll go check the basement, okay?"

Dean gave Ben a concerned look. "We don't have to do this if it's too much for you," he said.

Ben shook his head. "I'll be in the basement."

Ben headed for the basement door before Dean could say anything else. He switched on his flashlight and walked down the basement steps slowly. The temperature was much cooler than the rest of the house, which helped Ben relax a bit. He looked around the small, concrete room. There were a couple storage racks with nothing on them, but otherwise, the basement was just like the rest of the house, completely empty.

Ben was about to go back upstairs when something caught his eye. There was a small, dark spot on the wall next to one of the storage racks. Ben got closer, training his flashlight on the spot. It was a crack in the drywall. Ben ran his hand along the crack, and the wall gave a bit at the pressure. Interesting. Ben pressed the drywall, and it crumbled away. There was something in there, just below where his light could reach.

He stuck his hand inside and felt something strange. It was small and velvety. He closed his fingers around the item and pulled it out of the hole. It was a small pouch tied shut with some string. Maybe Dean would know what it was. Ben certainly had never seen it before. He walked back to the first floor as Dean came down from the upstairs.

"I don't think there's anything here, kid," Dean said, "There's nothing upstairs either-what's that?"

Ben held out the pouch he'd found. "This was in the wall downstairs. I've never seen-"

Dean grabbed the small thing and frowned at it. "This is a hexbag," he said, walking over to the kitchen.

"What's a hexbag?" Ben asked.

Dean dumped the thing on the counter and pulled the string loose. "It's something witches use for hexing or cursing someone. It's definitely a clue, but why witches would've gone after your mom is beyond me," Dean said. He opened the hexbag, making the fabric lay flat on the counter.

Inside was a small bone with a strange mark on it, some weird plant debris, and a couple of hairs.

After a short moment, the flashlight Dean was holding started to shake.

"Dean?" Ben asked.

Dean didn't look at him. "When did your mom die? What day exactly?" he asked.

Ben said, "May 8th, 2013."

Dean slowly crushed the hexbag in his shaking fist. "That son of a bitch," he said.

Ben gave Dean a confused look. Dean threw the remnants of the pouch across the kitchen angrily. "That fucking asshole," he snapped, "If he weren't already dead, I swear I'd kill him."

"Dean, what are you talking about?" Ben asked.

"Crowley, that mother fucking, low life, two faced-I should've killed him. I should've killed him the second I got the chance," Dean said.

Ben asked, "Who's Crowley? What does this have to do with-"

"Nine years ago, Sam and I were trying to close the gates of Hell. We found a way to do it. Sam was doing trials to get it done with, all of it done with for good. Crowley was the low life demon that became king of Hell after we put Lucifer back in the box. He didn't like that we were going to close the gates, so he started using witchcraft to kill people that we saved in order to-"

"How do you know it was him?" Ben asked, vision starting to blur. He didn't like where this was going.

"The time frame fits, the hexbag looks like his handiwork," Dean said.

"You know what his hexbags look like?" Ben asked.

Dean looked sick to his stomach. He braced himself on the sink. "He tried showing me how to make a hexbag once. It's his style."

Ben froze. His blood started to boil. "So, this demon named Crowley killed my mom. And he was, what, a friend of yours?" he asked.

Dean said, "No, not a friend. Just an ally. It was complicated. Had I known what he did-"

"He killed my mom, and that's what you have to say? It was complicated?" Ben shouted.

Dean said, "I'm so sorry, Ben. I didn't know."

Ben couldn't have stopped his fist even if he wanted to. He punched Dean across the face.

"She died because of you!" Ben shouted.

Dean stumbled back a bit from the blow but didn't retaliate. He just gave Ben a broken look and said, "I'm sorry."

"I don't care," Ben said, "My mom is dead, and she'd be alive if it weren't for you."

"I know," Dean said. There was a jagged grief to his tone that Ben chose to ignore. He didn't care how Dean felt. This was his fault.

Ben punched him again. "You should've been here!" he shouted.

Dean didn't react or even move to defend himself. He just kept looking at Ben with the same sad, broken stare.

Ben kept swinging. Each punch was fueled by pain and loss and anger, each blow let the sting of abandonment and betrayal bleed out through his fists as they connected with Dean. Ben couldn't think. His breath came in fast, but it was drowned out by the blood rushing in his ears and the dull thud of his fists slamming against the older hunter.

Dean didn't even try to block the blows; he just dropped to his knees and took the punishment.

Ben hit Dean in the mouth, making Dean spit out a bit of blood. He stopped, but his stinging hands were still balled into fists. He didn't know what to do with all the rage he had. The hatred in his veins felt like poison.

He crouched, curling in on himself, and wished his mom were there to help him deal with all of this. The only parent he had left had essentially killed the only parent he'd ever known. The knowledge smarted in the worst way.

Dean put a hand on Ben's shoulder. Ben shook him off and punched him hard across the face.

Dean splayed out on the kitchen floor and stayed there for a moment dazed.

Ben couldn't deal with this, with any of it. He went through Dean's pockets quickly and grabbed the keys to the Impala. He had to get out of there. He ran out to the car, leaving Dean inside on the floor.

Ben got in the driver's seat, turned the keys in the ignition, and gripped the wheel. But he paused.

Every fiber of his being wanted to be as far away from that house as he could possibly get. But he stayed in the driveway, staring out the windshield at the shadow of the house he once knew.

Ben breathed out an aggravated sigh. He couldn't just leave. He wanted to. He wanted to run and never come back.

But Dean was still his father. He couldn't leave him.

Ben groaned and pressed his forehead against the steering wheel.

Son of a bitch.

He turned off the car and trudged back inside. He walked to the kitchen and was surprised to find Dean still on the floor and crying a little.

"Get up," Ben said. He extended a hand to Dean to help him off the floor.

"Ben?" Dean croaked, surprised. Dean took the hand Ben offered.

Ben helped him up and kept him steady while they walked to the car. He put Dean in the passenger seat and quickly walked around to the driver's side himself.

"Ben, I'm sorry," Dean said quietly.

Ben turned on the car. He ignored the bruising erupting over Dean's face, and he certainly ignored his fucking dad. He turned on the radio, blasting AC/DC as they started the long drive back to Kansas.


	11. Dark Side of the Moon

The moment Ben pulled the Impala into the bunker's garage, he thought he was going to collapse from exhaustion. When was the last time he'd slept?

He got out of the car to be greeted by Jesse pulling him into a tight hug.

Part of Ben wanted to shove him off, but he needed the hug so badly, he melted into the embrace instead.

"I'm so sorry," Jesse said softly.

Ben huffed a dark laugh. "You in my head?" he asked.

Dean stepped out of the passenger side slowly. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he turned and left the garage instead. Ben watched him go.

"I'm not in your head right now. But I saw what happened," Jesse said.

Ben pulled away from his friend and looked at him. "You saw?" he asked.

Jesse said, "I'm sorry. I just, I felt so much pain. I needed to make sure you were okay. I know I shouldn't have, but I was worried, and-"

Ben said, "It's okay, Jesse. I'm not mad. I don't have the energy to be mad even if I wanted to be." Honestly, Ben was kind of glad Jesse already knew. He didn't want to think about it more than he had to.

Jesse nodded and gave Ben a sympathetic look. "What do you need?" he asked, "Whatever you need, I'll do it. Anything."

What did he need? Ben didn't think there was anything that would fix what happened in Michigan.

"I don't know. You tell me," Ben said.

Jesse hugged Ben again. The next thing he knew, he felt the sun on his face and a light breeze across his skin.

"What the hell?" Krissy said, looking at Jesse. Krissy, Claire, Jesse, and Ben stood in a grassy cemetery.

"Ben needs his family," Jesse said as if that explained everything.

Claire asked, "So why am I here? I don't exactly know the guy, no offense."

"You were touching Krissy when I teleported you," Jesse said, "I either had to transport all of you or just your fingertips."

Claire blushed and looked at Jesse with mild alarm.

"What's going on?" Krissy asked Ben, "You okay, kid?"

"No, I'm not," Ben said.

Krissy walked closer to Ben and asked, "What happened?"

"I told Dean that I'm his son," Ben said.

"Oh, shit. Did he take it that bad?" Krissy asked.

Ben shook his head. He felt tears threatening him just thinking about it. "No, he was actually kind of happy about it," he said.

Krissy asked, "Then, what-"

"We found out who killed my mom," Ben said.

Krissy fell silent, watching Ben with more concern than he could stand to see.

"Turns out it was a demon that Dean knew. He killed my mom to hurt Dean. She was just collateral damage," Ben said.

Krissy said, "Oh, Ben, I'm so sorr-"

"What's worse is that Dean worked with the demon. They were buddies or allies or whatever," Ben said.

"Holy shit," Krissy said.

Ben ran a hand over his face, trying to calm himself down. He wiped away a stray tear with the motion. "Dean and I got into a fight, and I don't really know where we stand right now," he said.

Krissy hugged Ben. "I'm so sorry," she said, "That's a hell of a lot to deal with at once. I'm here for you, okay?"

Ben pulled away from Krissy and gave her an appreciative smile. Looking from her to Jesse, Ben steeled his resolve. He had something he needed to say.

"I may not know where I stand with Dean, but I don't want it to be that way with us. I want to be clear with you guys," Ben said. He turned to Krissy. "When we first started hunting together, you said that we wouldn't be friends, but you're my family whether you like it or not. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you. You're the only family I know I've got, so thank you," he said.

Krissy smiled at Ben.

Before she could say anything, Ben turned to Jesse. "And you," he said, "I've only known you for a few days, but I want to know you for a lot longer. I'm sorry I freaked out when I found out what you were. I don't care if you're the Antichrist or a cambion or whatever. You could be Satan himself, and I'd still have feelings for you. If we survive whatever world ending madness is going on, I'd like to try dating you if you'll have me."

Jesse beamed. He closed the distance between them with a few quick steps and kissed Ben gently. Ben returned the kiss once and wrapped his arms around Jesse. He looked over at Krissy and Claire.

Krissy gave Ben an approving smile before wrapping him in another hug.

Ben kept an arm around Jesse and said to Claire, "I don't really know you, but you seem cool."

Claire chuckled. "Thanks. Same to you," she said.

After a moment, Krissy released Ben and said, "Well, as much as love these touchy feely moments, I gotta ask. Why are we in a cemetery right now?"

"This is where the Winchesters saved the world the first time," Jesse said, stepping just out of Ben's embrace. He looked at the grass beneath their feet and said, "This is where they put Lucifer back in the cage. We're here, because I'm hoping I'm right."

Jesse held out his hand, and the Casa Erotica DVD appeared in it out of thin air.

"Does this mean you found a safer way to track Gabriel?" Ben asked.

Jesse shook his head. "Not really," he said, "But it does mean I'm going to try again."

Ben put a hand on Jesse's shoulder. "Last time you tried to track him, you got knocked out. Don't you think we should find a better way?" he asked.

"I'm hoping that this place will help. Last time, I got too close. Gabriel's energy was overwhelming, and he was in so much pain. This cemetery had a portal opened in it. It was closed, but the scar of it may remain. If that's the case, I'll be able to control how close I have to get to sense him."

"Jesse, that doesn't make any sense," Ben said.

Jesse said, "I don't think Gabriel is on this plane of existence. I think he's being held somewhere else. Think of it this way. Last time, I felt Gabriel's energy on the other side of a wall. I didn't realize there was a wall, so I just smashed right through and ended up way too close to Gabriel. Now, I know there's a wall. So, instead of smashing through, I can just get up close to the wall and try to listen through it. Sensing energy on different planes is ridiculously hard, so trying again from here, where there was already a portal and the veil between planes might be thinner, I might be able to actually do this. Here, if I'm right about this place and where Gabriel might be, it'll be easier for me to sense him, which will make it all easier to control."

"What if you're wrong?" Ben asked.

"If it doesn't work this time, we'll have to figure something else out," Jesse said, "But I want to try again."

Ben was not a fan of this idea at all, but he knew it wasn't his decision to make. He nodded and said, "Just be careful."

Jesse held the DVD with two hands and closed his eyes. For a while, nothing happened. Jesse's hands tightened on the case.

Ben started to wonder if Jesse's powers were working.

Jesse's eyes moved quickly under his eyelids.

"Jesse?" Ben asked.

Jesse's eyes snapped open. His eyes glowed with a bright, white light so intense Ben had to look away.

"There," Jesse said. He blinked a few times, and his eyes returned to normal. He smiled widely at Ben. "I found him," he said.

Krissy asked, "Wait, you found Gabriel?"

Jesse nodded, triumphant.

Suddenly, they were back at the bunker. They appeared in the kitchen where Dean was holding a frozen bag of peas to his bruised face, talking to Sam and Cas.

"He's my kid, Sam," Dean was saying, "How am I supposed to-" He fell silent upon seeing everyone appear. Ben wasn't sure he wanted to know how Dean would've finished that sentence anyway.

"I found him. I found Gabriel," Jesse said.

"What?" Sam asked, stepping closer, "Where is he?"

Jesse said, "He's being held at the base of Yggdrasil."

"The world tree? That's a real thing?" Sam asked.

Jesse said, "Sort of. It's more the culmination of the different connection points between the different planes of existence. Gabriel is at the point where all of the Hell gates, all of the portals to Purgatory, the spots where the physical and astral planes touch, and even the entrance to Heaven all converge."

"And where's that?" Dean asked.

"It's on another plane altogether. It's an in-between realm like Purgatory or Tartarus, but it connects to all the other planes as well," Jesse said, "It's essentially the center of all existence."

"Yeah, that's not ominous at all," Dean said.

Sam asked, "Can we get there?"

Jesse nodded. "Yes, I can get us there, but there's something else," he said, "When I found Gabriel's energy, I found other energies. Some kind of dark presence was there with him. It was like nothing I've ever sensed before."

"Then, let's gear up and get him out of there," Sam said.

Dean said, "Sam, hang on. We'd be going in blind to what sounds like a pretty big fight. We need to do a little more than just gear up and go."

"Dean is right," Cas said, "We would be a poor rescue effort if we go there unprepared."

"At the very least, we need to rest up. Some of us have had a really long couple of days," Dean said, looking over at Ben.

Sam said, "You're right. I'm sorry. I just need to treat this like it were any other case."

Dean gave his brother a confused look. "There some reason that it isn't?" he asked.

Sam shook his head. "No, it's just-it's a big job. I'll go do some research on Yggdrasil. See if I find anything useful," he said.

Dean said, "I'll get us packed to go in the morning. You gonna be okay waiting until then?"

Sam nodded solemnly and retreated to the library.

"What's up with Sam?" Claire asked.

"Who knows," Dean said, "You guys should get everything ready for tomorrow, too. Gotta be prepared for anything. Weapons, first aid, whatever gear you guys need, we should have it here."

Krissy's eyes got wide with excitement. "You guys got an armory?" she asked.

Dean grinned. He adjusted the bag of frozen peas on his face and asked, "You wanna see it?" Dean looked over at Ben, and Ben stiffened.

Jesse walked over to Dean and touched a finger to his arm. Dean's bruising and swelling vanished instantly.

"Ben's been up for over 48 hours," Jesse said, "I think he could use a rest. We'll see you guys in the morning."

Ben was grateful for the excuse not to go anywhere with Dean, and he was deliriously exhausted. He was surprised he hadn't collapsed already. He'd been running solely on raw emotion for last couple of days. He needed sleep in the worst way.

Jesse teleported Ben into the bedroom they'd used earlier.

"Thanks for stepping in," Ben said, "I don't know if going with them would turn into Dean trying to smooth things over, but it still would've been awkward as hell."

Jesse said, "No problem. Now, you should get some rest."

Ben plopped down on the bed and kicked off his shoes. "If you don't mind me asking, why'd you heal Dean?" he asked. Ben pulled off his jeans, careful to leave his boxers on.

Jesse walked closer to the bed. "We've all got to be at our best tomorrow. If we get into this fight and lose because Dean's got a minor concussion or because my energy wasn't enough to sustain you, that's on me."

"What?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, I should've probably told you. Sorry. I can replicate the effect of sleep on the brain. I knew you didn't sleep while we were waiting for the Winchesters at Jody's house, so I mimicked the energy levels of a normal sleep cycle so you wouldn't be tired. It's not as good as actual sleep, and I didn't know you were going to be up for another 24 hours straight," Jesse said.

Ben grinned. "That's so cool," he said, "You're awesome."

Jesse smiled. "I'll let you rest," he said.

Ben scooted over on the bed and asked, "You want to stay?"

Jesse hesitated before saying, "Okay." He stripped down to his t-shirt and boxers. He got into the bed next to Ben. "You really should sleep, though," he said.

Ben yawned and said, "That's the plan." He laid his head on Jesse's chest and fell asleep in a heartbeat.


	12. All Hell Breaks Loose

When Ben opened his eyes in the morning, he felt more rested than he had in a long time. He took a deep breath and rolled over only to find a piece of paper with his face. It was a note that read, "Good morning."

Ben smiled. Jesse's handwriting was surprisingly neat and flowing.

Ben stretched and sat up. Despite the sense of impending doom, it did feel like a good morning. The events of Michigan didn't sit so heavy in his chest. Ben felt much more in control of himself than he had for the last couple of days.

He got up from the bed and grabbed his pants. He started to get dressed when he heard a small rustle.

Ben looked at the bed to see the note had moved to the nightstand in front of him. Under "Good morning" it now said, "I'm in the kitchen talking to Sam." After another moment, it also read, "Feel free to join us. I'm making pancakes if you're interested."

Ben grinned at the note and at Jesse's casual use of power. He finished getting dressed before heading down to the kitchen.

"All I found was a surprising lack of information on the world tree," Sam was saying, "Just a few mentions in poems and short texts, nothing that could really help."

Jesse said, "It's fine. Even if we knew the terrain, we'd still be going in blind." He looked over at Ben in the doorway and smiled. A plate of pancakes appeared on the table next to him.

Sam noticed the pancakes and looked up, seeing Ben for the first time. "Good morning," he said with a forced smile.

Ben sat down next to Jesse and said, "Morning."

A bottle of syrup along with a fork and knife also suddenly existed on the table. Sam's smile tightened a little before he took a deep breath. He cut a section of the pancake in front of him.

"Did I interrupt something?" Ben asked.

Jesse shook his head as Sam said, "No, no. You didn't interrupt."

Ben raised his eyebrows at them. He picked up his silverware and started eating his pancakes.

Jesse said, "Sam was just sharing his research with me, but before that he was asking about you."

"Jesse," Sam scolded.

"Like I told you, you need to talk to him," Jesse said, "Well, here he is."

Sam sighed and said, "I was just asking if you were alright. Dean told me what happened on your road trip."

"I'm fine," Ben said, "Well, no. I'm not fine, but I really don't want to talk about it."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I understand that. Just know that if you do want to talk, I'm here," he said.

Ben took a bite of his pancake. And here he'd been having such a good morning. At least it was Sam and not Dean that he had to interact with first thing in the morning.

"I don't mean to be rude," Ben said, "But I really don't think you'd understand."

Sam leveled a knowing look at him. "Oh really? What part wouldn't I understand? Losing your mom to a supernatural fire? Feeling like it was somehow your fault, like there was something you should've done? Feeling betrayed by family, betrayed by Dean? Feeling disconnected from your own father? I think you'd be surprised," he said.

Ben dropped his gaze to his food.

Sam said, "Trust me, you could never hate Dean more than he hates himself right now. He loved your mom, and he loves you. Right now, he's feeling like he's lost you both. I know you guys need time to figure all this out, so I'm not trying to push anything. Just don't shut him out forever, okay?"

Ben sighed, shoving a bit of pancake around on his plate.

Jesse covered Ben's hand with his.

Ben said, "I don't hate him, and I'm trying really hard not to blame him, but after the fight we had, I don't know."

Sam said, "I know my brother isn't always the easiest person to talk to, but you should talk to him. Talking it out is usually the best way to get through crap like this."

Ben bristled. So much for Sam not pushing anything. "If you think talking it out is so healthy, then how come no one seems to know what's been going on with you?" Ben asked.

Sam gave Ben a startled look and said, "I don't know what you're-"

"Bullshit. I know something's been going on, and I barely even know you. I'm going to talk to Dean eventually, because I know I need to talk to him, but you're here spouting off this 'talk it out' stuff like it's something I don't know when you won't even take your own advice," Ben said.

Sam looked at his plate with a sad smile. "You sure are Dean's kid," he said.

Ben wasn't quite sure what to make of that.

Sam said, "My situation is different. I didn't have anyone to talk to, and then he died, so talking about it didn't matter."

Jesse and Ben gave Sam matching expressions of confusion.

"Gabriel and I have history, but he died and that was that. Knowing that he's still alive is something that I wasn't prepared for, and knowing that he's trapped somewhere for who knows how long is killing me. This case has been bringing up a lot of old emotions. We just need to find him," Sam said.

"And Dean doesn't know?" Ben asked.

Sam shook his head.

Ben said, "Call me crazy, but if we save Gabriel, I think Dean might find out."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I know. I have no idea how he'll take it," he said, looking at Ben knowingly, "But I'll talk to him. Eventually."

Ben smiled.

Jesse said softly, "Sam, I'm sorry. I know whatever we're going to find won't be easy for you. Gabriel was in a lot of pain when I connected to him."

Sam sighed and said, "I know. That's why we need to save him sooner rather than later."

"Speaking of the mission today, what are we doing for weapons? We don't know what we're up against," Ben said.

Sam said, "Dean's on it."

Jesse entwined his fingers with Ben's as Dean entered the kitchen with a yawn. "What am I on?" he asked, headed for the coffee maker.

Cas followed him quietly.

"Weapons for today," Sam said.

Dean jumped a little as a full cup of coffee appeared next to the coffee maker. He shrugged and picked up the coffee, bringing it back to the table. A plate of pancakes appeared on Sam's side of the table. Dean looked at Jesse and said, "Thanks, kid." He sat down and took a sip of coffee.

Jesse asked, "Do you eat, Castiel? Do you want pancakes?"

Cas smiled at Jesse and said, "Pancakes would be nice. Thank you." Pancakes showed up in front of Cas immediately.

"You were talking about weapons?" Dean asked Sam.

Sam nodded.

"Claire, Krissy, and I figured out the weapons situation last night. We'll be covered," Dean said.

"But we don't know what we're fighting," Ben said.

Dean's gaze snapped up to his son, surprised. Cas looked between Ben and Dean, concerned. Ben's grip on Jesse's hand tightened slightly.

Dean took another sip of coffee. "We'll each have a stake, an angel blade, and a gun with silver bullets," he said, "Stakes since we already know there's pagan gods involved in all this. Angel blades to take care of angels and demons, and silver bullets to deal with anything else. If it's something that needs to get burned, I'll have a flame thrower in my bag. We've also got duffel bags with rock salt, iron rods, and a crossbow. Like I said, we'll be covered."

Ben nodded. Yeah, that did about cover it.

"You're bringing it, aren't you," Sam said.

"Of course, I'm bringing the grenade launcher. We don't know what we're up against. We might need it," Dean said.

Sam rolled his eyes.

Dean said, "Need I remind you that that grenade launcher saved our lives." Sam raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. I get it."

Dean said, "Once the girls are up and fed, we'll all get geared up and ready to go."

"Sounds good," Jesse said.

Dean glanced at Ben for a moment before he dug into his pancakes. Ben considered saying something to Dean, at least telling him that he didn't hate him. He thought about it for a brief second before eating his pancakes instead. It was too soon. He would talk to Dean, but he needed more time.

Claire and Krissy walked into the kitchen together. They were fully dressed, and Krissy was already loading silver bullets into her gun.

"You guys want breakfast?" Ben asked.

Claire said, "No, we already ate. There's a cute diner not far from here. It was nice."

Krissy smiled at her, putting her gun in her waistband.

Cas asked, "You already ate? When did you get up? When did you even leave? We didn't hear anything."

Krissy said, "My bike is a lot quieter than you'd think."

Ben gave Krissy a curious look.

Krissy shrugged in response as she pulled out her stake from her jacket, inspecting the tip of it.

Claire said, "We're ready to go whenever you are."

Ben looked at Dean and Cas. While Ben, Jesse, and Sam were dressed and ready, Dean was wearing a t-shirt and boxers, and Cas only had a robe and pajama pants.

Dean finished the pancake he was on and said, "I'll be ready in five minutes." He got up and left the kitchen quickly.

Cas polished off his breakfast in record time, heading off to get dressed as well. Claire grinned.

Once everyone was dressed, fed, and inspected by Dean to make sure everyone had the appropriate gear, they gathered in the war room.

"Alright," Sam said, facing Jesse, "How are we doing this?"

Jesse said, "Everyone get a weapon ready and stand perfectly still."

Everyone did as he said. Ben held his gun with a firm grip.

Then, reality melted.

The war room, the table, the walls, the floor, all of it stretched and warped around them until they were surrounded in infinite darkness.

Ben couldn't see anything, but he knew he stood on something solid. A bright light radiated from Jesse's hand, making Ben blink. Jesse raised his hand, illuminating the others. Ben could see everyone and the dirt floor beneath their feet, but beyond that was just an unnatural mist and pitch blackness.

"Where are we?" Claire asked. Her words echoed loudly.

Jesse said softly, "We're in the right place, and we're not alone." He closed his eyes and waved his hand. "There," he said.

The mist dissipated a few yards from them revealing a cage made of thick metal bars. A man lay unconscious inside of it.

Sam took one look at the cage and rushed over. He touched the cage. There didn't seem to be a door. He dropped to his knees to be at level with the man inside.

Judging from Sam's actions, Ben guessed that that was Gabriel, but it was hard to imagine that the skinny, broken man in the cage was supposed to be an archangel.

Ben asked, "Is that-"

"The Archangel Gabriel," Jesse confirmed.

"You're better than I'd heard," said a voice.

Ben turned towards the sound to see a man not much older than himself emerge from the darkness in a swirl of mist. The man regarded Jesse with a look of curious interest. Ben stepped closer to Jesse. He didn't know who this guy was, but the look he gave Jesse was deeply unsettling.

"You know this guy?" Ben asked.

Jesse shook his head. He mirrored the man's look almost perfectly, curious, intrigued, and a little confused.

Cas took a few steps forward. "Jack?" he asked.

Jack nodded once, and with a very cold tone, said, "Castiel."

"Jack?" Dean said, confused, "What are you doing here?"

"It's nice to see you, too," Jack said flatly, "And I guess you could say I was invited."

Sam turned away from the cage. "Jack, did you do this?" he asked.

Jack sighed and said, "No, I had nothing to do with Gabriel. That's not why I'm here."

"Why are you here?" Cas asked.

A woman appeared out of the shadows and laid a hand on Jack. "He's here as a favor to me," she said.

Sam paled. Dean stared at her in shock.

"Kali," Sam said.

"Oh, good. I'm glad you remember me," Kali said, "I wasn't sure if this was the form I took when we last met."

"What do you want?" Dean asked, "Why do all this?"

Kali stepped away from Jack and walked closer to the cage and Gabriel. Sam positioned himself between Gabriel and the goddess. "My goal is simple. Revenge on my dear Gabriel for all his lies."

"Then, why involve the Norse gods?" Jesse asked, "Why let them believe this is a sign of Ragnarok?"

"That is what was asked of me," Kali said.

Dean asked, "You mean you're not running this show?"

Kali rolled her eyes at Dean. "No, I am not running anything. I'm here for Gabriel and nothing more."

Ben looked over at Krissy to see what she thought of all this. Krissy shrugged.

"Then, who-" Dean started.

Kali said, "Enough questions." She struck her arm through the air and fire sprung up from the ground, easily reaching 10 feet in the air and carving paths through the group of hunters.

Jesse pulled Ben away from the flames before he could be burned. Ben didn't hear any screams. He hoped that meant no one was hurt. Dean stood next to him and Jesse. Ben could see Cas and Claire through the fire. He couldn't see the cage or Sam or Krissy. They must've been cut off on the other side.

"Oh yes, this does make things interesting," another voice said. It wasn't Kali or Jack. Someone new.

A tall man with dirty blonde hair stepped out of the darkness. There was a hard set to his jaw that made chills of fear rattle through Ben's chest. There was something off about him.

"Welcome," the man said, "I would apologize for all the theatrics, but it's hard to get your attention unless the fate of the world hangs in the balance. You can relax, though. This is entirely a personal family matter."

Ben looked at Jesse confused.

Jesse said, "I don't know him either."

Ben looked to Dean. Dean's face was a mask of shock and pain. He clearly knew the man, but Ben wasn't sure he wanted to know how.

The man walked forward, looking towards Cas and Claire intently. "I'm glad you've brought friends," he said, "It's made my plans get a bit complicated, but all in all, they'll make this so much more satisfying."

Ben tried to watch what was happening through the flames, but it was hard to make everything out.

Ben could hear Sam say, "You don't have to do this."

"Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on here?" Ben asked loudly. Dean put a hand on Ben's shoulder.

The man's stare snapped to Ben and walked over to Ben's side of the wall of fire. "This is what people generally refer to as a trap," he said, coming closer.

Ben swallowed his nerves and said, "Yeah, I can see that, but who are all of you?"

The man grinned. "I know he's trying to distract me, I'm not an idiot," he said to no one in particular. He cocked his head to the side for a moment and closed his eyes. "Yes, I know," he said to himself.

Ben exchanged a confused look with Jesse.

"Kali is the Hindu goddess of death and destruction. She was instrumental in getting the Norse gods all up in arms over nothing," the man said, looking at Ben again, "And Jack is Lucifer's son. Once I knew you had a half-demon on your side, I figured an archangel nephilim would help even the playing field. After I told him my story, he was more than happy to help."

Jesse looked at Jack with wide eyes.

The man stood just an arm's length from Ben when his face twisted into a smile. He blinked and his eyes changed for a split second. It was so quick, Ben thought his eyes might've played a trick on him. "As for me, my name is Adam."

Ben froze. Adam? Dean had mentioned having a half-brother named Adam. But he died. That's what Dean had said. This couldn't be the same Adam, could it?

Adam took another step towards Ben, and Dean got between them.

"Adam, I don't know what happened to you, but we can work this out. We're not gonna fight family," Dean said.

Ben's eyes widened. Holy shit, he was Dean's half-brother.

"Oh, don't go playing the family card now, Dean," Adam said, "It's far too late for that."

"What happened to you, man? Last I saw you, you were playing puppet for Michael and getting doused in a holy fire molotov," Dean said.

Adam said, "Wrong. The last you saw me, Michael and I were falling into the cage with Sam and Lucifer."

"But that doesn't make sense," Dean said, "The molotov cocktail should've killed you. You should've been in Heaven."

Adam said, "Yeah, well Michael raised me from the dead and hopped right back in."

"I didn't know. I would've-" Dean started.

"You would've what? Opened the cage to save me? You didn't even do that for Sam," Adam said, "Sam knew I was down there. Castiel knew. They didn't try to rescue me either. Don't pretend to be some kind of hero. If you'd only known the half-brother you never cared about was down there! Boo hoo, Dean. You would've done absolutely nothing different."

Adam closed his eyes. "You're right," he said to no one.

"Who are you talking to?" Dean asked.

"I'm not alone in here," Adam said, eyes still closed, "Michael's in here, too, what's left of him anyway. He's done with all the talking. So am I."

Dean pushed Ben backwards a little. "Alright, just leave the kids out of this. You're pissed at me, Cas, and Sam. Take it out on us not them," he said.

Adam opened his eyes to reveal one eye had gone completely black and the other radiated an electric blue light. "Fine by me," he said.

Adam grabbed Dean by his shirt and tossed him through the flames.

"Dean!" Ben shouted.

Dean landed with a thud beside Cas and Claire.

Adam walked through the flames with a frightening calm in his steps.

Ben got as close to the fire as he could. "Jesse, we need to get over there," he said. Seeing Dean lying on the ground erased all the anger he had left. He needed to help him.

A force knocked Ben and Jesse back and onto the dirt floor. Jack smiled at them with glowing yellow eyes.

Jesse stood up and looked at Ben. The pressure holding Ben down disappeared.

"You're very good," Jack said. He let out a shout that sent a surge of energy at them. Jesse deflected it with a wave of his hand.

"Ben, stay back," Jesse said.

Ben wanted to help, but he knew there was nothing he could do in that fight. He looked through the fire at Dean. Dean was up, holding his angel blade.

Jesse closed his eyes, and Jack froze, completely immobile as if time had stopped only for him.

Jack's eyes glowed, and he started moving again. "Interesting," he said. Jack raised a hand and the air around Jesse crackled. A bolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere and pierced through Jesse's chest.

Jesse barely reacted. He raised a finger and redirected the lightning right back at Jack.

Jack moved out of its way and smiled widely. "I like you," he said, "But you're really holding back. I want to see what you can do."

Jesse waved a hand in front of him, and a cyclone of air erupted from his hand and pushed Jack back a few feet.

Jack pushed the air away effortlessly, but Jesse sent a burst of energy that hit Jack in the chest.

The dirt around Jack's feet flew into the air at the impact. Jack shook it off as if he hadn't felt a thing.

Jesse disappeared and reappeared behind Jack. He touched Jack's shoulder. Jack vanished and came back 30 feet in the air. He fell to the ground hard, but he just laughed. "That was awesome," Jack said.

Jesse teleported back between Jack and Ben.

Ben saw through the flames that Cas had just been sent flying by Adam. He had to do something. He couldn't just sit there while everyone else fought.

Jesse pointed at the fire, and in one spot, the flames dispersed. Ben ran for the gap but was pulled away by an invisible force. It lifted him up in the air, tightening around him painfully.

"Let him go," Jesse said.

Jack's yellow eyes were fixed on Ben. The crushing sensation got worse. Just trying to take a breath felt like his lungs were trying to expand through cement.

Jesse looked at Ben apologetically. He focused on Jack and said firmly, "Release him."

Ben dropped to the ground immediately.

Jack looked at his hands for a moment, confused, before smiling excitedly at Jesse. "That is a good trick," he said, "Mind if I try?" Jack cleared his throat and said evenly, "Hit him."

Jesse's hands balled into fists, he shook as he struggled not to face Ben.

"Jesse?" Ben said.

Jesse hit Ben in the chest, knocking him onto his back. "I'm so sorry," Jesse said immediately.

Jack laughed, grabbing Jesse's attention again.

Before Ben could figure out what to do about any of this, he heard a dark laugh come from Adam.

"He's your son?" Adam said, clearly thrilled with the idea, "You brought your own son to a dangerous rescue mission? That's priceless!"

Suddenly, Ben was pulled through the fire until he found himself in Adam's grasp.

"Ben!" Jesse shouted. Another crack of lightning and subsequent thunder let Ben know that Jack was back on the offensive.

Adam's fingers tightened slightly around Ben's neck. "I can't believe you put your son in danger like this," he said, "Except I can. Hurting your family is what you seem to do best."

"Don't hurt him," Dean said. Blood trickled from Dean's hairline over some fresh bruising where it looked like Adam might have shattered Dean's cheekbone. Claire knelt next to Cas on the ground behind him.

"Ben!" Krissy shouted, "Let him go!"

Ben could see Krissy and Sam staring at him from next to Gabriel's cage. They dodged a fireball from Kali, using the cage as cover.

Adam's grip made it hard to breathe. He could feel blood rushing in his ears and pounding in his head. Ben kicked at Adam, but the blow did nothing.

"Let this be a reminder that your actions have consequences, and it's not just you that suffer them," Adam said.

Adam moved his fingers sharply.

A sharp pain. The bones snapped. Blood stopped. Everything stopped. Then darkness. Then nothing. Gone.


	13. Nightmare

Sam watched in horror as Adam snapped Ben's neck. Ben fell to the ground, limp.

"No!" Dean shouted.

Kali extended an arm, and a spray of fire flew past Sam's face. Sam jumped back in shock. He tightened his grip on his stake. He had to focus on the fight at hand. He'd be no good to the rest of them if Kali ended him now. There had to be a door on the cage. There just had to be.

Gabriel looked so frail inside the cage. He was skinnier than Sam had ever seen him. His hair was matted in places. He barely looked like himself. Sam tried not to think of how Gabriel used to be, tried not to compare the sassy, enigmatic archangel to the weak and vulnerable man in front of him. He grabbed one of the bars and gave it a shake. Nothing.

Kali paused, dousing the flames that had climbed up her arms. "The cage is made from the metal of archangel blades. Good luck with that," she said.

Sam's hopes shattered. There was no way he'd be able to break Gabriel out of there. He shook the cage anyway. He knew it was useless, but he couldn't just give up.

A small groan caught Sam's attention.

Gabriel stirred and looked up at him. "Sam?" he said quietly.

Sam dropped to his knees. "I'm here, Gabe. I'm here. We're gonna get you out of here," he said.

"Oh, he's awake again," Kali said, "Good. He's not as entertaining when he's asleep."

Sam ran around the cage between Gabriel and Kali. "Leave him alone," he said.

Kali asked evenly, "Or what?"

Sam stabbed at her with his stake.

Kali disappeared in a small puff of smoke. She reappeared next to Sam and tossed him away from the cage. She said, "That was rude, Sam."

Sam got up quickly and once again threw himself between Kali and Gabriel. "I won't let you hurt him again."

Kali said, "You don't get a say in the matter." She covered her arms in flames and reached towards Sam.

Sam slashed out with the stake, and Kali vanished again.

"Sam, look out!" Krissy shouted.

Sam turned around to see a ball of fire flying directly at his head.

Claire knelt on one knee next to Cas. "C'mon, Cas. Wake up. We need you," she muttered. At least he was breathing. She looked over at Dean. He was on the ground, slumped over Ben. Claire couldn't look at Ben without wanting to vomit. Seeing him like that was harder than most of the shit she'd been through. She couldn't imagine how Dean felt or how Krissy and Jesse were doing.

Adam stood near Dean, watching him. "This is perfect," he said, "Truly better than I could've imagined. There's just one thing missing."

Adam walked over to Claire and Cas. He looked down at Castiel with a satisfied grin. He grabbed Claire by the arm and hauled her to her feet.

"Let go of me," she snapped.

Adam said, "You know, I truly apologize for whatever brought you and the Winchesters together. If it weren't for them, you wouldn't be in the situation."

Claire swung at him with her free arm. Adam moved slightly, avoiding her hit entirely.

"You're the only reason that any of this is happening," she said, "Not the Winchesters. Just you."

Adam frowned at her and snapped her forearm in his grip.

Claire screamed, pain coursing through her arm up to her shoulder and back.

Adam dropped her with a wide smile. "Yes, I needed that. As wonderful as this has all been, we needed more screams."

The shock of hitting the ground made pain surge through Claire. She gritted her teeth against it but couldn't help but cry out in pain.

Cas opened his eyes and started to sit up. "Claire?" he said.

Adam put a foot on his chest and pushed him back to the ground. He crouched on top of Cas and punched him in the side of the head.

Claire got up and threw herself at Adam, but he just tossed her aside.

As she landed on the ground, she looked over at Dean. He was just sitting there.

"Dean, get up. Cas needs help," she said.

Dean didn't seem to hear her.

"Dean!" she shouted.

"Sam, look out!" Krissy shouted.

Sam didn't turn around fast enough. Luckily, Gabriel reached an arm out of the cage and swept Sam clean off his feet. The fireball narrowly missed.

Krissy released a breath. She forced herself to stay focused on Kali. She wanted to look over at Ben through the flames. He couldn't have died. He was fine. It had to be a trick, just a bit of psychological warfare. He couldn't be dead. Everyone else died. Everyone else got killed and left Krissy alone, but not Ben. Ben would always be there. He couldn't actually be-

Krissy looked at Ben lying in Dean's lap. He couldn't be.

There was a goddess throwing fire around. She had to concentrate.

Kali grimaced at Gabriel through the bars of the cage. "You have no business interfering with my fun," she snapped. She put a hand on the side of the cage, causing the bars to glow bright red with heat.

Sam knocked his shoulder into Kali's legs and pushed her away from the cage. Krissy scooted around the far side of the cage. The part that Kali had heated didn't touch Gabriel. Good.

Krissy grabbed her stake. Kali rounded on Sam. She threw blasts of flame at him, making him dodge and roll, using the cage for cover. Kali didn't care about where Krissy was. The goddess stepped around her in her pursuit of Sam. Krissy hurried around the cage, coming up behind Sam. Kali got close to Sam, flames engulfing her arms and chest.

"I'm done with this game. You die now," she said.

Standing right behind Sam, Krissy shouted, "Sam, drop!"

Sam dropped to the ground, and Krissy stabbed her stake right into Kali's chest.

The flames burned Krissy's hands terribly. Krissy released the stake with a pained cry.

Kali's mouth fell open, her eyes unseeing. In one terrible moment, Kali died in an explosion of fire and ash. Her last scream echoed as the force of the blast knocked Sam and Krissy to the ground. The shock threw Gabriel against the far side of his cage hard.

Sam crawled over to Gabriel and said, "Gabe? Hey, you okay?"

There was no answer.

The fire still roared behind them. Krissy had kind of figured Kali's death would have doused the flames. They'd have to figure that out eventually.

"Come on, Gabriel. Look at me," Sam said. Krissy walked over as Sam shouted, "Gabriel!"

Krissy held her hands in front of her gingerly. They were red and blistered and painful as hell. She nudged her shoulder into Sam. "He's breathing," she said.

Sam released a breath. "Yeah, you're right. How are we gonna get him out of there?" he asked.

Krissy shrugged. "We'll figure it out," she said.

Dean couldn't see. His vision was completely blurred. He couldn't hear through the blood rushing in his head. His hands were vaguely aware of Ben in his lap. His son. His son was-Ben was-

"Dean!" Claire shouted. Dean looked up and saw Claire. Then, he saw Adam on top of Cas throwing punches. No. Dean got up and ran at Adam. He wouldn't lose anyone else and certainly not Cas. Not again.

Dean sunk his angel blade into Adam's back, shoving it in all the way to the hilt. Adam went rigid, pausing mid-swing. He stood up from Cas and turned to Dean. He reached back and grabbed the angel blade. He pulled it out. It dropped to the ground with a clang.

"Did you think that would work?" Adam asked.

Yeah, he had kind of hoped that would work. He hoped it would've at least taken out Adam. It looked like Michael's archangel power protected the both of them. Shit.

Adam waved a hand and sent Dean flying. He landed with a painful thud.

Adam walked over quickly. He dug his fists into Dean's jacket and hauled him to his feet. "Stabbing your own brother in the back," Adam said angrily, "How appropriate."

"Half brother," Dean corrected.

Adam grimaced. He wrapped his hand around Dean's throat. "Any last words?"

Dean said the first thing that came to mind, the one thing that would at least confuse Adam if not buy Dean time. "I don't know if Michael can hear me, but I'll say yes."

"What?" Adam asked. He cocked his head to the side, confused.

Dean said, "I'll be Michael's vessel. It's gotta be cramped in there with both of you."

Adam's face screwed itself up in confusion for a moment. He closed his eyes like he was listening for something.

If he did take Michael in, maybe Dean would be able to stay in control like Adam was. Or he'd be obliterated like he'd feared all those years ago, but maybe something good might come of it.

"Why would you offer that?" Adam asked.

"Simple," Dean said, "Michael can resurrect Ben. If he brings Ben back, he can have me."

Adam's face lost all emotion. His eyes flashed with a white light before fixing on Dean.

Michael said, "I have as much reason as Adam to distrust you, Dean Winchester. As such, I don't believe you."

"But-"

"Goodbye, Dean."

Jesse couldn't breathe. He stared through the flames at Ben's lifeless form. The brilliant light of his energy was gone.

"I'm so sorry," Jack said, staring at Ben with wide eyes, "I didn't think-he said no one would die. I would never have-"

"You tried to kill him," Jesse said icily.

"I wasn't going to hurt him any more than I could repair," Jack said, "I was just trying to motivate you to see what you could do. I didn't want this."

Jesse nodded. He didn't care. Ben was dead. The only thing that mattered to Jesse now was killing Adam. Adam needed to die.

"Will you help me?" Jesse asked.

Jack gave Jesse a confused look. "How?" he asked.

Jesse said, "An archangel blade would be useful."

"I don't have one," Jack said.

Jesse nodded. He had another idea, but it made him a little sick thinking about it. Lucifer was the source of Jesse's powers. He was the reason his powers had emerged in the first place. He'd learned to hone his skills without Lucifer's presence on earth, but the devil was still the source. He could feel Lucifer's power coursing through Jack's veins. Jack was right. Jesse had been holding back.

"Do you heal rapidly?" Jesse asked.

Jack nodded. He looked at Jesse curiously.

Jesse sighed. "I'm sorry about this," he said. He raised his hand and pulled Jack to him over the few feet between them. He sank his fingers into Jack's chest, ripping a pained scream from the nephilim. The power from Jack's blood poured into him, surging up his arm in waves of bright energy. Jack didn't fight him, and Jesse was infinitely grateful.

Jesse waved his free hand and dispersed the flames cutting everyone off. He saw Michael had taken control of Adam, the bright white of the archangel holding down the darkness of the demon.

Michael said, "Goodbye, Dean." He pressed a hand to Dean's chest.

Jesse sent Michael flying with a wave of energy. He felt his eyes turn black, but he didn't care. The cage Gabriel was in thrummed with a frequency of energy that caught Jesse's attention. That could work.

Jesse focused his demonic eyes on the cage and clenched his fist. The cage exploded in a shower of metal chunks. He controlled the fall of the fragments so Gabriel wouldn't be hurt and no one would be hit with shrapnel. No one else would die today. No one except Adam.

Jesse teleported both him and Jack right next to Michael. A large piece of metal flew to Jesse. He removed his hand from Jack's chest, caught the flying shard, and shoved it between Adam's ribs.

Adam's eyes flashed with a crackle of flickering light. He stumbled forward a step until Michael's dying grace poured streaming light from his eyes and mouth. Adam combusted slowly, rippling with the throes of a demonic death. Michael screamed.

Jesse turned to the others and shouted, "Close your eyes!"

Michael's grace exploded in a burst of pure, white light. The energy from the death of the strongest archangel nearly knocked Jesse to the ground. When it all stopped, Adam's body lay between a pair of wings burned into the dirt.

Jesse blinked the black out of his eyes and immediately ran to Ben. He ran his hands through Ben's hair, healing his neck bones with a sharp snap. He shoved his energy into Ben with everything he had. Jesse stimulated Ben's synapses, forced his heart to beat, made his lungs expand and contract, and coaxed the appearance of life into his very cells. He pulled back his energy, and it all faded.

"Damn it, Ben," Jesse said under his breath. He tried again, giving Ben all the necessary functions for life. Nothing.

Jesse stared up at the rainbow of energies above him. They twisted together and branched off to form the portals to the other realms. One of them was Heaven. Somewhere in the kaleidoscope of the world tree, Ben's essence still existed. No one else could see the beauty of the place they were in, so none of them would be able to help him figure out which branch led to Heaven. No one except maybe Jack.

"Jack," Jesse said, looking up at the nephilim, "Do you know what Heaven feels like? Have you ever been there?"

Jack shook his head. "No, the angels want me dead. I've kept my distance."

Jesse nodded. He could relate. "In that case, I may need your assistance," he said.

Jack sat down next to Jesse. His shirt had holes from where Jesse's fingers had pierced through, but Jack's skin had already healed.

"Whatever you need," Jack said. If Jesse didn't know which branch led to Heaven, he'd just have to reach through them all.

Jesse dug his fingertips into Jack again. The power he found there surged through Jesse. He directed it up and into the tree of energy. He reached through each branch, making his intent spread into every plane. He would find Ben.

Demonic blackness returned to his eyes as he gazed up the spiraling energy of the world tree, following the flowing power he sent out. His purpose made manifest flew through the portals with a screaming message. 

Bring him back.

Jesse sent the wave of energy out until there was nothing left to send. He released Jack and collapsed to the ground next to Ben's body.

Jesse looked over at Ben, still very much dead. "Ben," he said softly, "Wake up."


	14. Let It Bleed

Gabriel had been through a lot. He'd lost his family, run from Heaven, created himself an unoccupied vessel that none of his brothers could detect, and became Loki. He lived with the Norse gods for a long time. He never quite fit in, but Odin had been rather fond of him. It was the closest he'd gotten to having a family again. Living with them made it easier to forget the pain of Heaven and stop being Gabriel altogether.

Then, the Winchesters happened. Suddenly, he was in the middle of the apocalypse, he was Gabriel again not Loki. And Sam. Watching Sam fight his own nature, constantly faltering but always trying to do better, it changed him. Gabriel had a fondness for humans from living on earth for so long, but Sam made him see what God had seen in them.

Deciding to stand against Lucifer wasn't easy, but he knew it was the right thing to do. Humans deserved better than the angels that they had. Surviving Lucifer had been difficult. He had hoped his copy would've tricked him, but wasn't surprised when it didn't. When Lucifer stabbed him, Gabriel left a copy right where he'd been and flew to the roof of the hotel. He'd still been stabbed with an archangel blade and was bleeding grace from a terrible wound, but he was alive. His copy took the blade to the heart. Gabriel had expected Lucifer to follow him and finish him off, but he didn't.

During the weeks leading up to that standoff, Gabriel had gotten close to Sam. He hadn't wanted to break the kid's heart, but if Lucifer somehow used him to get to Sam, Gabriel would never have forgiven himself. So, he let Sam think he was dead.

After Sam jumped in the cage, Gabriel knew he'd made the right choice. He drowned out the memory of Sam Winchester with wine, women, and a nice vacation spot in Cabo. He figured after everything, he was done. Time to retire and watch the universe do its own thing.

Then, Metatron summoned him. Fucking Metatron with his angel tablet bullshit. Metatron summoned him, trapped him, made him fuck with Cas, and kept him locked away for future use. He'd never really appreciated his rank as an archangel before. He didn't feel any better or more worthy than anyone else. But fucking Metatron. Being trapped by such an obnoxious underling was a tough pill to swallow. Metatron never came back. Gabriel was just stuck, going crazy alone wherever the hell that dickwad had stashed him.

Eventually, the one thing Gabriel had always feared came true. His brother found him. Asmodeus had freed Michael, or at least, that's what Adam had said. Michael wasn't happy to see him. He saw Gabriel as a deserter and traitor. Adam just wanted to kill something. They both wanted to get revenge on the Winchesters. Of course, Gabriel refused to help them. They weren't happy with that. Adam and Michael formed the plan together. Adam recruited Kali, who emphatically wanted nothing to do with archangels. Michael created the archangel cage to give Kali the upper hand. Gabriel gave up hope of rescue quickly. Kali would burn parts of him with holy fire, would laugh at him, taunt him, remind him how powerless he was. When that wasn't satisfying enough, Adam and Michael would take turns cutting into him with their archangel blade and slowly bleed him of his grace.

After a while, Gabriel shut down. He didn't know how long we was tortured for. He was pretty sure it was years, but it may have just felt like it. There weren't words to describe the shock Gabriel felt at seeing Sam again.

When Gabriel opened his eyes, he was in Sam's arms. It was the best he'd felt in the longest time. He had been through a lot, far more than an archangel should, but looking up at Sam made him insanely happy despite everything. It was about that moment when Gabriel realized he was completely naked. Kali's fiery brand of torture had destroyed what had remained of his clothes a while ago, but being in Sam's arms, he was all too aware of his vulnerable state. Upon further inspection, Gabriel noticed that he had Sam's jacket draped over him like a makeshift blanket. The kind gesture made his heart melt a little. He had really missed Sam.

"I've got you," Sam said quietly when he realized Gabriel was awake.

Gabriel made his best attempt at a smirk. "Yeah, you do," he said.

Sam smiled, but his expression was tight.

"What is it?" Gabriel asked.

Sam's eyes shifted to something away from them. Gabriel turned to look and saw Dean and a younger guy huddled over a body. Another young man stood nearby, watching holes in his chest heal quickly and holding a ball of fire in one hand to light up the area.

"Who's that?" Gabriel asked, referring to the dead body.

"My nephew," Sam said.

Gabriel's heart sank. "I'm so sorry," he said, not knowing what else to say.

Sam looked down at him and asked, "You couldn't bring him back, could you?"

The archangel wanted to cry. He would love to just lay hands on the kid and bring him back to life. But his grace was so low, it was almost gone.

"I wish I could," Gabriel said, "It'll be a long time before I'm strong enough to be much help to anyone."

Sam rubbed his thumb along Gabriel's arm in a comforting motion. Gabriel knew it was Sam way of saying 'it's okay.' But it wasn't okay. The kid was dead, and Gabriel was too weak to do anything about it.

The young man holding onto Dean's kid pulled the limp body into a tight embrace. A large surge of energy emanated from him.

Gabriel said, "That's a lot of power for a kid."

"That's Jesse," Sam said, "He's half-demon."

"A half-demon using healing energy. And just when I thought I'd seen it all," Gabriel said.

As the wave of power washed over Gabriel, he felt steadier, less frail. The girl who had killed Kali stared at her hands. Her burns disappeared. Cas sat up, the bruising from his face completely healed and gone. The blonde girl next to him moved her arm gingerly then more freely as she realized it didn't hurt.

The signs of the fight had all vanished except for Adam's corpse lying on the ground and Dean's son still limp in Jesse's arms.

Dean looked utterly lost. His face echoed the pain and emptiness he surely felt.

Jesse started to sob over the kid. "Come back," he said between hiccuping breaths.

A loud, sharp crack resonated through the area, drawing Gabriel's attention. The sound sent a chill up his spine. A dark skinned woman dressed all in black stepped out from the shadows holding a large scythe. As she approached, the end of the scythe tapped the ground and made the same loud, echoing noise.

"Billie?" Sam asked.

Gabriel wasn't entirely surprised that Sam was on a first name basis with the new Death, but it was still unnerving.

"Winchesters," Billie said, "Why am I not surprised?"

Dean asked, "What are you doing here?"

"You called. Well, not you, Dean. You," Billie said, stepping over to Jesse.

Jesse looked up at Billie, still shaking from his sobs.

"Do you realize that you contacted every plane of existence at once?" Billie asked.

"I had to," Jesse said, "I didn't know which realm had Heaven, and I needed to try to-"

"Bring him back, I know," Billie said, "What are you willing to trade for his life?"

"I don't understand," Jesse said.

Billie asked, "Would you give up your powers if I were to give Ben back to you?"

"Yes," Jesse said without a second of hesitation.

"What about something else?" Billie asked, "Would you trade your life for his?"

"Yes," Jesse said.

Billie nodded thoughtfully. She asked, "What about your soul? Would you give me your soul in exchange for his life?"

Jesse paused. "I have a soul?" he asked, "Even though I'm-"

Billie said, "Just because your father was a demon does not mean that you are. You have a soul, and it has not been corrupted."

Jesse said, "Then, yes. I would sell my soul to you."

Billie sighed. She looked from the Winchesters back to Jesse. "You people do realize that death happens, right? People die. Young, old, healthy, sick, everybody dies. You can't just reverse it all the time," she said.

No one answered her.

Jesse looked down at Ben. He released Ben's body and stood up.

Dean pulled his son into his arms.

Jesse faced Death. "Whatever the price is, I'll pay it," he said evenly. Billie gave Jesse a tired smile. "The price is simple," she said, "The next time any of you die, do not call me. Do not complain. No loopholes, no demon deals, no get out of jail free cards. Unless I personally want you, if any of you die, you die. End of story."

"You'll bring him back if I accept that death is inevitable?" Jesse asked.

"I want you to accept that death is part of the natural order of things, and I want you to respect that," Billie said.

Jesse nodded. "Done," he said.

Death smiled warmly.

She closed her fist and held it out on front of her. When she opened her hand, the shining white orb of a soul floated in her outstretched palm. She moved the soul over to Ben's body and lowered it into his chest.

"Thank you," Dean said quietly, "I don't know why you're helping us, but thank you."

Death retracted her hand from Ben. She looked at Dean and said, "I showed you my reading room once. Ben was never meant to die today."

As Death disappeared back into the shadows, Ben took a deep breath.

Dean took hold of Ben's jacket. "Ben?" he said. There was no response. Just steady breathing. Dean shouted, "Ben!"

Jesse took Ben's hand in his. "Dean, it's okay. He's in there," Jesse said.

Dean asked, "Then, why isn't he awake?"

"It might take him a while to wake up given the circumstances," Jesse said.

Dean regarded Jesse for a moment. "Okay," he said, "Then, let's get him home."

Gabriel looked up at Sam. Some of the devastation in his eyes had disappeared, leaving him looking a bit more like the hopeful hunter he'd come to know.

Gabriel was about to open his mouth to ask Sam something when his surroundings became blurred. The others stayed in focus but the darkness around them and the dirt beneath them shifted. Everything stretched and warped to the side until the world came back into focus.

Gabriel found himself in a well lit room with a wooden table, some sensible lamps, and quite a number of bookshelves. He also found that he was still in Sam's arms.

Sam stood up, picking Gabriel up with him as if lifting him were nothing.

"Where are we?" Gabriel asked.

"Home. This is the Men of Letters bunker. Dean, Cas, and I live here now," Sam said.

"A permanent address for a change," Gabriel said, "That must be nice."

"It can be your home, too, if you want," Sam said quietly.

Gabriel stared at Sam with wide eyes. Sam did not know what those words meant to him.

Sam quickly grew concerned. "I'm sorry. You've been through a lot. I shouldn't be-"

Gabriel pulled him into a deep kiss. Sam didn't hold back. He melted into it and kissed Gabriel within an inch of his life. When they broke apart, Sam was smiling, Gabriel was breathless, and Dean was staring at them.

Sam looked at his brother, clearly anxious. He said, "Dean-"

Dean shook his head. "Later," he said. He carried his son to a spare bedroom.

Jesse, Krissy, and Cas followed them.

Gabriel looked up at Sam. "I take it he didn't know," he said.

Sam shook his head. "There was never a good time," he said.

"He'll come around," Gabriel said, "In the meantime, does this place have a bed, or more importantly, a shower?"

Sam smiled at Gabriel and carried him off down a startlingly long series of hallways. How big was this place? When Sam opened a large wooden door, Gabriel grinned widely at the size of the bathroom. He'd never been so happy to see a shower before.

Sam set Gabriel on his feet, Sam's jacket falling to the floor. The archangel took one faltering step before they both realized Gabriel couldn't support his own weight. Sam wrapped an arm around him and helped him get to the shower.

Gabriel gave Sam a mischievous smile and asked, "Care to join me?"

Sam rolled his eyes but started taking off clothes without any further prompting.

Dean lay Ben down on the bed and dragged a chair to the side of the bed. He sat down with a tired thud. Cas put a hand on Dean's shoulder. Krissy leaned up against the wall, looking at Ben, her only real family. Jesse sat down on the edge of the bed. He almost felt like he was intruding, but he wasn't willing to leave Ben's side any more than Dean was.

Ben's chest rose and fell steadily. Jesse could feel Ben's heartbeat from across the room if he concentrated on it. At least the bright light of Ben's soul was back where it should be. Ben would be fine.

Dean sighed. "Did I really just see Gabriel kiss my brother?" he asked.

Cas said, "Yes, that appears to be the case."

Dean shook his head. "Of all the stupid-did you know about this?"

Cas shook his head.

Krissy shrugged.

Jesse looked at Ben, trying not to get in the middle of things that were clearly not his business.

"Did you know?" Dean asked Jesse.

Jesse avoided Dean's eyes. "Sam may have mentioned something about it before we left," he said.

"Did he tell you when his common sense went AWOL, or why he never told me that his brain fell out of his thick head?" Dean asked.

Jesse said, "I'm not getting in the middle of this. You should ask Sam about it."

Dean sighed again and ran a hand over his face. "Well, I can't exactly leave right now. I'll talk to him later," he said.

Jesse nodded. Yes, there were more important things than inquiring about Sam and Gabriel's history.

Claire knocked on the open door tentatively. "Hey," she said, "Jesse, you got a minute?"

Jesse tore his eyes away from Ben long enough to give Claire the most patient look he could muster. "Is it something that can wait?" he asked.

Claire said, "It's Jack. He wants to talk to you, but-"

"He can come in," Jesse said. He would've said it louder, but he knew Jack would hear it anyway.

Claire stepped over by Krissy to vacate the doorway.

Jack sheepishly entered the room. "I just wanted to apologize again," he said, "I'm so sorry."

Dean looked at Jack sharply, but Cas put a hand on his chest to stop him before he could say anything.

Cas asked, "Why did you align yourself with Adam?"

Jack sighed. "I don't know," he said.

"You've gotta find a better answer than that," Dean said.

"Adam told me how you'd abandoned him, how you used him to avoid being Michael's vessel," Jack said. He looked at Cas, "He told me how you raised Sam from the cage but not him. He told me how you got Death to save Sam's soul but not him. He was a discarded pawn, and I felt I could relate."

"Relate?" Dean asked, "You left us, remember? We didn't ditch you or abandon you. You bailed."

"I needed time to figure things out. I needed to see the world with my own eyes," Jack said, "But without you, I didn't feel like I had purpose. I knew I had to be worth more than just a tool for you to use, but I couldn't figure it out."

"You are not a tool," Cas said evenly, "You are more than your abilities. You were family."

Jack fell silent.

Jesse said softly, "I know what it's like to be on your own, especially when it's your own decision to isolate yourself."

Jack looked up at Jesse.

"I left home when I was just a kid to protect my family when my powers first appeared. It's not an easy choice for anyone to make," Jesse said, "I know how lonely exile can be. I don't blame you for going along with Adam. I know what it's like to desperately want another person to talk to. If you already felt you could relate to him, and he convinced you that no one would die, it makes sense. I understand."

Dean regarded Jack for a moment before saying, "You're back on our team now, right?"

Jack nodded. "Yes, of course," he said.

Cas gave Jack a soft smile. "Then, that's all that matters."

Jack crossed the room quickly and hugged Cas. He pulled away after a moment and said, "I should probably go. When Ben wakes up, I doubt he'll be glad to see me."

Jesse got off the bed and extended his hand to Jack. "I hope you don't go far," he said, "If you're done being alone, I think we'd make a pretty good team."

Jack shook Jesse's hand with a grin. "I'll be in my old room just down the hall," he said.

Jack left, and Jesse sat back down on the bed. He felt like curling up next to Ben and sleeping for the next century. With how much energy he'd used, he really needed to get some rest, but until Ben woke up, he would do no such thing. If something happened, he needed to be ready. So, he kept waiting.

After a few hours, Dean was starting to fall asleep in his chair. Cas had gone to bed after asking a million times if Dean would be okay and if he should stay despite being tired. The fight with Adam and the others hadn't lasted all that long, but it had certainly taken its toll on all of them. Even though Jesse had healed him, Cas was still rightfully exhausted. Dean assured Cas that he'd be fine and sent him off to bed with a kiss.

Krissy had fallen asleep on the floor at the foot of Ben's bed with the express instructions to wake her up the second anything happened. Claire had snuggled up next to her, leaving Jesse itching to read their minds and get answers to the questions they were causing.

Instead, Jesse respected their privacy and contentedly sat cross legged on the bed listening to Ben's breathing and steady heartbeat. If Ben stayed asleep for more than twelve hours, Jesse would delve into his mind and see what was going on. In the meantime, Jesse was more than happy to listen to the small signs of life coming from the gorgeous young man sleeping in front of him.

Dean jerked awake in his chair again with a sharp gasp.

"When did you sleep last?" Jesse asked.

Dean blinked a few times, trying to shake off his fatigue. "It's been a while," he said.

"You know, if you want to get some rest, I'll watch over Ben," Jesse said, "I could come get you when he wakes up or if anything happens."

Dean said, "Not gonna happen."

Jesse raised his hands in surrender. "Just an offer," he said.

Dean looked at Ben with a sad, solemn stare. "I have to be here when he wakes up," he said, "After what happened at his mom's house, if he wakes up, and I'm not here-no, I have to stay."

Jesse gazed at Ben, weighing out what he could and could not say to Dean with regards to the Michigan road trip.

"Ben doesn't hate you," Jesse said quietly so as not to wake Krissy and get in more trouble for not minding his own business.

Dean looked over at Jesse, curious but guarded.

Jesse said, "You and Ben need to talk it out, and I refuse to get involved, but you should know that Ben doesn't hate you."

Dean nodded. He didn't smile or change his expression in any tangible way, but as his focus drifted back to his son, Dean did seem a bit relieved.

Jesse wondered if Ben would be mad that he said anything. He hoped not.

Jesse looked at his watch. Seven more hours until Jesse would have to go inside Ben's head and figure this all out. He really hoped Ben woke up before then. After everything, he really didn't have the energy for it. He was lucky he hadn't passed out already. One way or another, in seven hours or less, they'd have Ben back.


	15. Fare Thee Well

Mom?

Ben opened his eyes to see Jesse fast asleep curled up over his legs at the end of the bed. Odd. He could've sworn they fell asleep cuddling together. Jesse must've moved in his sleep. Maybe he'd had trouble sleeping. They were going into a pretty dangerous situation in a few hours, so it only made sense that he'd be a bit restless.

A soft snore caught Ben's attention. He turned his head and immediately regretted the decision. His neck was terribly stiff. He must have done something to it. Dean sat in a chair next to the bed, sleeping soundly. What the hell was Dean doing there? Had the guy never heard of privacy? Strangely, Ben wasn't upset by Dean sitting there. He wasn't mad at Dean hardly at all.

Looking at him, Ben started to remember fire. Dean had been thrown through a wall of fire.

Ben gingerly turned his head and stared up at the ceiling.

Fire.

Jesse had been fighting someone. Jack.

Ben remembered flying through the fire into a tight grip. He remembered scared faces.

One blue eye and one black.

Adam.

Ben's hand flew to his neck only to make him groan in pain. It wasn't just his neck that was stiff. Every part of him felt tight and painful.

At his groan, Jesse stirred. "Ben?" he asked quietly.

Ben sighed. "What the hell happened?"

"Ben!" Jesse shouted, waking up Dean.

Dean said a shocked, "Ben!"

Jesse got on his knees quickly and pulled Ben into a hug. Ben hissed in pain from the movement.

Jesse pulled away and asked, "You're in pain? What hurts?"

"Everything," Ben groaned, laying back down as gingerly as he could.

Jesse put a hand on Ben's chest, sending a pulse of warm energy radiating through him.

Dean got up from his chair. "Thank God you're awake. You scared me half to death," he said.

"How do you feel now?" Jesse asked.

Ben experimentally tried to sit up. He felt completely fine. "A lot better," he said.

Dean pulled Ben into a tight embrace. "I thought we lost you, kid," he said over Ben's shoulder.

Ben asked, "What happened?"

Dean released Ben and sat back in his chair looking at him confused like he couldn't find the words for what he wanted to say. Jesse faced Ben with a similar expression. He opened his mouth like he was going to talk, but he quickly closed it.

Krissy scrambled to her feet and rushed over to Ben. Ben hadn't even known she was on the floor. She hugged Ben tightly. "Don't you ever do that to me again," she said.

Claire got up from where Krissy had been and stood over by Dean's chair. She said, "I'm glad you're okay."

Ben patted Krissy on the back, prompting her to let go of him. Ben looked around at his family, who all seemed immeasurably happy to see him awake, and knew something really bad must've happened to him.

"Somebody better tell me what happened, or I'm gonna start freaking out," Ben said.

Dean asked, "What's the last thing you remember?"

Ben said, "Adam snapped my neck."

Dean winced and asked, "You remember that?"

Ben nodded. "What happened?" he asked, "How did I survive that?"

"You didn't," Claire said when no one else spoke, "Adam killed you."

Ben looked around at the others. He started breathing faster as the weight of those words hit him. He asked, "Is that true? I died? Then, how-" Ben looked at Jesse.

Jesse dropped his gaze. He said, "I, umm-"

"Jesse saved you," Dean said, "He called Death and got her to bring you back."

"What?" Ben asked.

Jesse said, "I had to. I tried to revive you on my own, I fixed your neck, I did everything I could, but you were gone. So, I used the world tree to send a message. And Death heard it. She brought you back."

Ben couldn't quite remember how to breath. He died. He had actually died. He tried to remember anything after Adam killing him, but it was blank. The next thing he really remembered was waking up in bed.

But there was something. Something between then and now. Something warm and familiar. A peaceful spring day. A soft smile. It wasn't a memory so much as a feeling.

Ben closed his eyes and shook his head. No matter what he remembered or didn't remember, he was glad he wasn't dead. He wasn't ready to die. Ben looked at Jesse. "Thank you," he said.

Jesse smiled at him.

Ben turned to Dean. "Can we talk?" he asked.

Dean nodded and said, "Yeah, 'course we can."

Jesse got up from the bed. Claire headed for the door. Krissy met Ben's eyes quickly before putting an arm around Jesse. "C'mon, let's see what kind of stuff these guys keep in their kitchen. I'm starving," she said. They left Dean and Ben alone quickly.

Once the door closed, Ben said, "Dean, I'm sorry."

Dean's eyebrows shot up, surprised. He asked, "You're sorry? What are you talking about? If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me."

"I'm sorry for getting so mad and for taking it out on you," Ben said, "Crowley killed Mom, not you. Even if you hadn't wiped our memories, it probably wouldn't have changed anything. It's not like you meant for any of that to happen. You didn't know."

"I'm sorry for putting you in such a dangerous situation with my murderous demonic half-brother," Dean said.

Ben said, "You didn't know what we were going up against."

"Exactly," Dean said, "I shouldn't have let you go on a mission completely blind. What kind of father am I?"

"You and I both know I wasn't staying behind," Ben said, "And after Michigan, I definitely wouldn't have listened to you even if I wanted to."

Dean said, "Yeah, Michigan. Jesus. That's still on me. If I hadn't met your mom-"

"Then, I wouldn't exist," Ben said, "And you would've absolutely lost it after Sam went to Hell."

Dean sat back and regarded Ben for a minute. "You sure you're not Sam's kid?" he asked, "He's always making good points like that."

Ben grinned.

Dean asked, "You know I would've killed Crowley the first chance I got if I knew what he did, right?"

Ben nodded. He said, "Yeah, I know you would've."

"So, we're okay?" Dean asked, "Just like that?"

Ben said, "Yeah, just like that."

Dean gave Ben a relieved smile, and Ben immediately felt a thousand times better. Something still bothered him a bit, though.

"Can I ask you something?" Ben asked.

Dean looked at Ben expectantly.

"How did Crowley die?"

"You wanna know how Crowley died?" Dean asked, confused.

Ben nodded. "Well, if I can't kill him, I wanna know who did," he said.

Dean said, "You're not gonna like it. He killed himself."

"What? Why?" Ben asked.

Dean said, "It was kind of weird situation. Basically, he sacrificed himself to help us trap Lucifer in an alternate dimension."

"I don't get it," Ben said, "Crowley was evil. He killed my mom just to hurt you. He was a demon. But he helped you go up against Lucifer?"

"Twice," Dean said, "Crowley was a complicated person. He did a lot of bad, twisted, evil shit, but he also did help us a lot. He wanted power, but once he got it, it wasn't what he really wanted. After Sam and I tried turning him human, he was all over the place. In the end, he made the sacrifice play. I gotta respect that, but that makes it really hard to reconcile with what he did to your mom."

Ben sighed and said, "You're right. I don't like it. I'd feel a lot better if he were just plain evil and someone had taken his head off."

"I know what you mean," Dean said. There was something about that warm, peaceful feeling he had from when he'd been dead that helped take the edge off of not being able to kill Crowley. He clung onto it.

"Hey, speaking of people who switch alliances, I have to tell you something," Dean said.

Ben did not like the sounds of that. He braced himself.

"Jack is back on our side," he said.

Ben stood up quickly. "What?!" he shouted.

Dean got to his feet and moved in front of Ben. "It's okay," he said, "Jack doesn't always have the best judgment, but-"

"How is it okay? He attacked Jesse and tried to kill me," Ben said angrily. He moved around Dean and headed for the door.

The moment he opened the door, Ben saw Jack standing in the hallway.

Ben shoved Jack into the wall and said, "Give me one good reason not to end you right now."

"Just one? You have no weapon, you couldn't hurt me anyway, and I am not posing a threat to you," Jack said.

Something about his matter of fact tone reminded him of Jesse. Ben released Jack and took a couple steps back.

"You wanna tell me what you're doing here?" Ben asked.

Jack looked directly into Ben's eyes. "I heard Dean tell you about me, and when you reacted like I thought you would, I felt it would be best if I explained myself to you," he said.

Ben folded his arms across his chest. "Start talking."

"I'm the son of Lucifer and a beautiful woman named Kelly, but the Winchesters raised me. I used to live here, actually," Jack said. He looked at Dean for a moment, but he returned his unwavering stare to Ben. "I left them. I traveled around for a long time. When I met Adam, he talked me into siding with him. I realize now that this was a mistake. He lied to me. He told me no one would die. When he told me about Jesse, I had to see him for myself. I never meant to cause either of you harm."

"You tried to crush me to death," Ben said flatly.

"I swear I just did that to coax Jesse to use the rest of his powers. He was holding back. I never wanted to hurt you. Any harm that I did, I fully intended to fix. Adam got to you before I could-I'm sorry," Jack said.

Ben frowned. "What's your deal with Jesse?" he asked.

Jack said, "It's complicated."

"Explain it to me."

"I'm a nephilim," Jack said, "There have been others over time, but none of them had the powers that I do. There's never been anyone who can do the things I do. Except Jesse. I needed to see his abilities. I needed to see that someone like me didn't have to be evil."

"So, you sided with Adam and Kali. Makes perfect sense," Ben said.

"Like I said, I know now that that was a mistake," Jack said.

Ben said, "Hell of a mistake."

"Ben, the kid's five years old," Dean said, "Like I said, his judgment isn't the best."

Ben stared at Dean. Was he nuts? He pointed at Jack. "This guy is not five years old," he said.

Dean said, "When he was born, he aged rapidly. He's five. Most of the time, he acts older, but there a lot of common sense stuff that isn't quite where you'd expect it to be. No offense, Jack."

"None taken," Jack said quietly.

Ben looked back at Jack. He said, "I don't know how to react to this. Thanks for not being evil right now, I guess?"

"You're welcome," Jack said. He sounded like he was being sincere. This was insane.

"Jack helped save your life, too," Dean said softly.

Ben turned to his father, clearly waiting for him to explain.

Dean said, "I don't really know how it worked, but Jesse stuck his fingers in Jack's chest. It made Jesse's eyes turn black, so I think it gave him a power boost or something."

"The energy in my blood was able to feed his power," Jack said, "I helped him boost his power so that he could access all of the realms at once. That's what got Death's attention. I helped Jesse, but I wouldn't necessarily count it as helping to save Ben, though I am glad that he is okay."

Ben ran a hand over his face. Jesse's eyes went black? What the hell?

Sam walked out of a room down the hall and headed away from them.

Dean patted Ben on the shoulder and said, "As long as you two aren't going to kill each other, I've got a bone to pick with my brother."

Dean walked down the hall after Sam.

Jesse appeared a moment later. Ben jumped at his sudden arrival.

"I see you've met Jack," Jesse said.

Ben nodded. "Did you know he's apparently only five years old?" he asked.

Jesse looked at Jack. "No, I didn't. That's really impressive," he said.

Jack smiled.

Ben shook his head. Too much weird. He needed food.

"Did you guys find anything good in the kitchen?" Ben asked Jesse.

Jesse shrugged. "They have a few things, but-"

Dean's voice drifted loudly down the hall. "He's not even human!" he said.

"Seriously?" Sam said, "Neither is Cas."

Dean said, "Well, Cas didn't try to kill us."

"Yes, he did," Sam said, "Multiple times."

"And how many times did Gabriel kill me in one day?" Dean countered.

"Dean, he was trying to make a point to me, and that was a long time ago. He's different now," Sam said.

"And that just makes everything okay?" Dean asked.

Sam said, "You don't have to like him, Dean. You just need to accept that he's here, and he needs our help."

"That's not what I have a problem with, Sam!"

"Dean, I'm not apologizing for loving him. You need to get used to it."

Ben cleared his throat. "Kitchen?" he asked.

A scream rang out through the bunker. The three of them ran down the hall towards it.

Ben skidded to halt in front of the room Sam had come out of. Someone was thrashing around in the bed. Between the harsh movements, he saw that it was Gabriel.

Sam rushed passed them and ran over to Gabriel, grabbing the archangel's hands.

"Gabe, look at me," Sam said, "I'm right here. You're okay."

Gabriel struggled against him for a moment, arms stiff.

"Gabe, it's okay. I'm here, you're safe," Sam said.

Gabriel stilled and looked up at Sam. He burst into tears, hugging Sam tightly. Sam looked over his shoulder at Dean.

Dean put one hand on Ben's shoulder and the other on Jack's, steering them and Jesse away from the room.

Jesse asked, "Is he okay?"

Dean said, "Doesn't look like Gabriel's doing too hot, but it's none of our business."

Krissy and Claire came running around the corner with knives in hand.

Dean sighed. "Everything's fine," he said, "You guys eat yet?"

The girls looked at Dean, confused.

"We heard a scream," Krissy said.

Dean said, "I know. It's Gabriel. None of our business. Food?"

Krissy said, "No, we didn't eat yet."

"Great," Dean said, "I'll make burgers. You guys head to the kitchen. I'm gonna see if Cas is up yet." He ducked into a bedroom on their right.

As they rounded the corner, Jesse asked, "Do you think Dean will get mad if I make the burgers?"

"Yes," Ben and Claire said in unison.

Jesse sighed. "Fine, but I guarantee it's a lot faster if I do it," he said.

Ben said, "I know, but Dean would throw a bitch fit. How do you make stuff appear like that anyway? Are you creating it out of thin air or something?"

Jesse said, "I don't create matter. I can manipulate air molecules to take whatever form I want. Or in the case of the pancakes this morning, there is a very confused IHOP cook who has no idea where his pancakes went."

Ben laughed. He stole fucking pancakes from IHOP. Of course he did. There was seemingly no limit to Jesse's gifts, including Ben's own life.

When they got to the kitchen, Ben turned to Jesse. "Hey, can we talk for a sec?" he asked.

Krissy shot Ben a concerned look.

"We'll be right back," Ben said.

Jesse took his hand, and they were immediately outside the bunker. The sun was starting to set. He must've been out for a while.

Jesse studied Ben's face. "What do you need to talk to me about?" he asked.

Ben said, "I want to know exactly what happened when I died."

"We already told you-"

"I know, but Dean said your eyes went black, and I'm sure Death didn't bring me back out of the goodness of her heart. I want to know what happened. All of it," Ben said.

Jesse looked into Ben's eyes, and he told him everything. He told him about using Jack's blood, killing Adam and Michael, using the world tree, all of it.

Jesse finished by saying, "Death offered an easy deal and restored your soul. After that, you were alive but unconscious for nine hours until you woke up this evening."

"What was the deal?" Ben asked urgently.

"Nothing bad, just acknowledgement that this was our one free pass. If anybody else dies, we can't reverse it. She wanted us to respect that death happens," Jesse said, "It makes complete sense to me. Death is a part of life. It happens to everything."

"But you still tried to save me," Ben said.

Jesse looked at his feet, kicking the dirt a little. "I wasn't ready to lose you," he said.

Ben smiled and said, "You know, that's kind of a lot considering you've only known me for a few days."

"Six days," Jesse said, "And it'll be a week in a few hours."

Ben grinned. "Still," he said.

Jesse took Ben's hands in his. "I manipulated Jack's will even though using that ability is the worst thing I could possibly do. My eyes turned black twice, because I was using my demonic powers to such an incredible extent. I fueled my own energy by literally tapping into the blood of Lucifer. I offered to trade Death my powers, my life, and my soul to get you back," he said, "I did it, all of it, for you. I don't care that I've only known you for six days. I know how I feel."

Ben stared at Jesse with wide eyes. If he had any sense, he'd be freaked out. But he wasn't.

Ben pulled Jesse in closer and crushed his lips against his boyfriend's. He wrapped his arms around Jesse and felt Jesse's fingers curl in his hair.

When they broke apart, Ben met Jesse's gaze with a wide smile. "I love you," he said.

"You love me? Now, that's too much. We haven't even known each other a week yet," Jesse said with a teasing smile.

Ben grinned. "Oh, really?"

Jesse said, "I love you, too." He kissed Ben softly just to emphasize the point.

Ben released Jesse and said, "We should probably get back."

Jesse said, "I have to do something really quick. I'll send you back to the kitchen, and I'll be there in a bit, okay?"

"What are you going to do?" Ben asked.

"Just a small errand. Shouldn't take more than a couple minutes," Jesse said.

Jesse ran a hand along Ben's arm, and Ben found himself standing in the kitchen in the bunker.

Krissy and Claire sat alone at the kitchen table kissing. They broke apart the moment they noticed Ben.

"Ben!" Krissy said, "You gave me a damn heart attack. Where's Jesse?"

"He had to go do something. When did-how did-you and Claire?" Ben tried to ask.

Krissy looked at Ben with a flat stare. "It's not like you didn't know," she said.

Ben said, "Well, yeah, I had my suspicions, but I still didn't think-"

"I know you of all people aren't about to judge me," Krissy said.

Ben said quickly, "No, I'm not judging. I'm just shocked. You never hook up with people! You never even talk to other people unless it's for a case."

"That's one of the things we have in common actually," Claire said.

Ben asked, "So, is this going to be a thing now? Are you guys dating?"

Claire looked at Krissy and said, "Well, we haven't been on a date unless you count breakfast this morning."

"I count it," Krissy said. She looked at Ben and asked, "Do you have a problem with this?"

Ben tried to ignore the challenge in her voice. "No, I don't have a problem," he said.

"Then, what's with the third degree?" Krissy asked.

"Is it me?" Claire asked.

Ben really and truly regretted having said anything. He raised his hands innocently. "I'm just curious and shocked, I swear" he said, looking at Claire, "You're awesome. Plus, we're kind of like weird step-siblings now. The fact that Krissy interacts with you at all is enough for me to get behind this."

Claire chuckled. "Yeah, you, me, and Jack are weird step-siblings now. I like it."

Ben sat down at the table. "Okay, I don't follow. Why Jack? And where is Jack, anyway?" he asked.

Claire said, "Jack went to use the bathroom. He's part of the family, because Cas was chosen by Jack's mom to be his guardian, and the Winchesters all helped raise him till he split."

That honestly just left Ben with more questions, but at that moment, the dads in question entered the kitchen.

Dean headed towards the stove, and Cas walked over to the refrigerator with swift purpose.

Cas retrieved a package of ground beef from the fridge and tossed it to Dean who caught it without so much as a single glance.

Cas went about grabbing different spices while Dean focused on getting the meat into a mixing bowl.

Watching them prepare the burgers was like watching a dance. Krissy and Ben watched them move around each other, Cas adding ingredients while Dean threw the meat on the skillet in workable patties. Claire looked at them with an amused smile.

The delicious smell of the burgers cooking lured Sam and Gabriel into the kitchen before too long. Gabriel was up on his feet and looked much better since the first time Ben had seen him. Sam helped Gabriel take a seat at the table and sat down next to him.

"The burgers smell fantastic," Gabriel said.

Ben saw Dean roll his eyes, but the others didn't seem to notice or care.

"Everyone want cheese on their burgers?" Cas asked.

Without waiting for an answer, Cas pulled out slices of cheese from the refrigerator and laid them on the burgers that Dean had finished flipping. Dean flipped the last of the burgers and caught Cas in a quick kiss. Cas smiled while putting the finishing touches on the food.

As everyone sat down around the table with their dinner, Jesse appeared over Gabriel's shoulder, making everyone but the archangel jump in surprise.

"I have good news," Jesse said, "Ragnarok is no longer an immediate threat."

Dean said, "Yeah, kinda got that." He nodded towards Gabriel.

"Yes, but no one told the Norse gods that we rescued him. I took care of it," Jesse said, "Odin just wants proof, so we'll be right back."

Jesse put a hand on Gabriel's shoulder, and the two of them vanished.

Sam stood up quickly, visibly troubled and looking at the spot where Gabriel had been. "We need to go after them," he said.

Jack chose that moment to walk into the kitchen.

Krissy asked, "Jack can you track Jesse?"

"Yes," Jack said, "Do I need to?"

"Yes," Sam said.

Ben sighed. He knew Sam would want to go with because of Gabriel. Dean would want to go to make sure Sam was safe. Cas would go to protect Dean. Ben obviously needed to have a few words with Jesse about his communication and how to work as a team. At that rate, Krissy and Claire would not be satisfied waiting in the bunker to see what happened.

Luckily, Jack seemed to know this, too. They all found themselves a few yards away from Jesse and Gabriel in a small clearing in the middle of a quiet forest.

A raven flew overhead.

Jesse turned around and said, "I said we'd be right back. Why-"

Sam rushed over to Gabriel. He said, "The last time Odin and Gabriel saw each other, he found out that Gabe was actually an archangel. We have no way of knowing how Odin will react to-"

"Loki," came a low voice. Everyone froze. A tall man in a fur-lined coat stepped forward from the trees. The braids in his white hair and beard and the eye patch he wore made it obvious who the man was.

Odin approached Gabriel. He looked at Jesse and said, "I thought you said you'd come alone."

"That was the plan," Jesse said, looking at Ben and Jack, "They followed us here. They won't do anything."

Odin said, "I know they won't." He looked at Gabriel, putting a hand on his shoulder. "How are you, my boy?" he asked.

Gabriel's face betrayed his confusion. "I'm alive," he said evenly.

"I see that," Odin said, "The others will rejoice when they hear it as well."

"I doubt that," Gabriel said.

Odin's brow furrowed. "Loki," he said.

"I'm not Loki," Gabriel snapped, "I'm not one of you. I'm not your son. You know that."

Sam grabbed Gabriel's hand. It was a small, reassuring gesture, but it seemed to help.

Odin looked between Sam and Gabriel for a moment. "I know that you are not like us. I know you are an archangel. I've known it as long as I've known you. As you may recall, I know a great many things," Odin said. He gestured to Sam and the others. "If this is your chosen family, I'm happy for you. I'm glad that you're safe and that you're loved. Do not forget that we are your family as well. Loki, Gabriel, whatever you want to be called, you have always been and will always be my son."

Odin pulled Gabriel into a tight embrace.

Ben looked over at Jesse. Maybe they should've waited at the bunker like Jesse had intended. Ben definitely felt like he was intruding.

Odin released his son, and Gabriel nearly lost his balance. Sam caught him with an arm around his waist.

"I'll inform the others that you are safe," Odin said, "It was good to see you. Heal well, my boy." With that, Odin disappeared.

Gabriel stared at the empty space for a moment before slapping on a grin and saying, "Well, that was fun, but I'm starved, and there's a bunker full of burgers just waiting for us."

Jesse closed his eyes and brought them all back to the Men of Letter's kitchen.

Dean looked at the burgers on the table and sighed. "Alright, line up to use the microwave," he said.

Jesse said, "No need." He snapped his fingers, and steam rose from the burgers.

Gabriel sat down with a smile. "I like this kid," he said. He took a bite of his burger and moaned.

Cas smiled. "I'm glad you like it," he said. Ben took a bite of his, and yes, the burger was fucking delicious.

Jack looked at Gabriel and said, "I don't understand. Are you really Gabriel or Loki? Were you always Loki? How did Odin know you were an archangel? Why did he leave so quickly?"

Gabriel shook his head. "Food first, questions later."

Dinner wound up being awesome. The food was amazing. Jesse made a few bags of potato chips appear on the table for everyone. Laughter broke out when Dean started telling the story of the first time he made cheeseburgers with Cas. It was a great time, and it felt so good to be surrounded by family. It reminded Ben of that warm feeling from when he'd died.

"Hey, Cas," Ben said when the talking hit a lull.

Cas turned to look at Ben. "Yes?" he asked.

"What's Heaven like?" Ben asked.

If the conversation at the table hadn't already died down, it would certainly have died then.

"Heaven?" Cas asked, "For humans or for angels?"

"For humans," Ben said.

Cas said, "It's peaceful. Typically, human souls live in a moment of their life that they want to live over, some special memory. It's paradise."

Ben nodded. "That would explain it," he said, "I don't remember anything from being dead, but I have a really warm, peaceful feeling about it."

Cas smiled. "I'm sure your Heaven was a good one. If you want to remember it, I'm sure Jesse would be able to unearth those memories for you. The effect of leaving Heaven is the same as the memory wipe I used on you before," he said.

Ben didn't want to remember. He was pretty sure he saw his mom when he'd died. If the memories were good enough, he might want to die again just to see her. And he didn't want that. He liked being alive.

Jesse took Ben's hand under the table and gave him a reassuring smile. Ben didn't know if Jesse had read his mind or if his face had shown his feelings about it, but either way, Jesse seemed to understand.

Sam looked at Dean and asked, "You remember the time we went to Heaven?"

"Which time?" Dean asked.

Sam said, "The time they let us remember when you got all pissed at me for my various Heavens."

"Yeah, I remember that. Lots of driving. But we got to see Ash and Pamela, so that was kinda nice. Your Heavens were bullshit, though."

Sam rolled his eyes.

They continued eating dinner while sharing stories, and it felt so right.

After dinner, Krissy's phone rang. She excused herself from the table.

Gabriel continued the story he was telling. "Sam didn't even try to speak Japanese, and he took the ball to the nuts. It was hilarious," he said.

Sam sighed and said, "I thought you were pissed at me, but sure, you found it funny."

Dean asked, "Wait, you guys were together in TV land? Seriously, how long has this been going on?"

"It's a long story," Sam said quickly.

"I guess you could say it's been going on since the Mystery Spot," Gabriel said.

Dean shouted, "What?!"

Krissy walked back into the kitchen and said, "That was Lucas. There's a case in east Texas."

"Who's Lucas?" Sam asked, pointedly turning away from Dean.

Krissy said, "He's a friend. You guys actually saved his life once."

That got Dean's attention. He looked at Krissy, waiting for her to continue.

"From what he's told me, a ghost drowned his dad when he was a kid. Drowned his grandpa, too. You guys saved him and his mom from the same thing," Krissy said.

Dean looked at Sam.

Sam's eyebrows came together.

"Wait, that little kid from Lake Manitoc?" Dean asked.

Krissy nodded. "He lives in Ohio now, but yeah, that's the one."

Sam's eyes widened. "That was nearly twenty years ago. How the hell do you remember that?" he asked. He turned to Krissy. "More importantly, how do you know him?"

Krissy said, "Lucas is sensitive to the supernatural. We ran into each other on a case. The really important thing is there's a case in east Texas. I've gotta go."

Claire got up from the table. "I'm up for a case," she said, "Let me just call Jody first so she doesn't think I'm dead or something. Last thing I need is Patience telling her what happened before I do."

Claire left the room.

Krissy looked at Ben. "Are you coming?" she asked.

It hit Ben like a ton of bricks that she was genuinely asking. He looked at Dean for a second.

"Of course I'm coming," Ben said, "Lucas say what the case is?"

"Sounds like a poltergeist to me," Krissy said with an excited smile.

"If it's okay," Jack said, "I'd like to go with you. I do still want to see what all Jesse can do, and I could help, too."

Ben said, "It's fine, Jack. You can come with."

Jack grinned widely.

Dean stood up from the table and walked over to Ben. "You sure you've got everything. Salt rounds? Something iron? A shovel?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah, we're good," he said.

Dean gave him a wistful smile. "Stay safe, kid," he said, pulling Ben into a hug.

Ben returned the hug.

When Dean let go, he said, "I meant what I said before. You've always got a home here if you want it."

Ben smiled. "You sound like you're saying goodbye. We're going on a poltergeist hunt with the son of Lucifer and an overpowered half-demon. We'll probably have the case solved and be right back here in five minutes flat," he said.

Krissy said, "Uh uh. No. The case might be stupid easy with them on board, but we're driving. I did not put my heart and soul into that truck just so we can teleport everywhere. We'll be back tomorrow."

Jesse sighed.

Krissy ignored him and headed out to the garage.

Jack said, "But driving is going to take so much longer."

Jesse said, "I know, Jack. I know."

Ben smiled. He turned to Dean, Sam, Cas, and Gabriel. "See you tomorrow," he said.

The next thing he knew, they were standing in the garage.

Jesse said, "If I can't just get us to Texas, I had to at least shorten the trip to the truck."

Ben laughed and said, "You and I can take my bike if you want."

Jesse seemed much more amenable to this option.

Ben pulled his bike off the truck bed as Jack hopped in the truck with Krissy and Claire. Once on the motorcycle, Jesse wrapped his arms around Ben.

They drove out of the garage and away from the bunker.

Ben had expected it to feel like an ending when they saved Gabriel. An end to the craziness, an end to a case. Instead, it felt like a beginning.

The wind blew through Ben's hair as he sped down the highway. Krissy drove beside them, windows down, blasting classic rock. Feeling Jesse's arms around him, seeing Krissy and Claire laughing next to them, knowing that a new friend sat in the backseat and only a few miles away was a place he could call home, Ben knew there was nowhere else he'd rather be.


End file.
